


What I have and what I ache for

by IcyLady



Category: Final Fantasy VII, No. 6 - All Media Types
Genre: Action/Adventure, Finding a home, Gen, Mystery, Suspense
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-20
Updated: 2017-11-02
Packaged: 2018-12-04 14:12:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 32,509
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11556867
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IcyLady/pseuds/IcyLady
Summary: In which Nezumi wakes up in a place where nobody heard of No. 6 – the city of Edge. Weaving lies and half-truths, he and Shion try to make a home for themselves, but the Turks are so similar to the agents of the Security Bureau and there is Kadaj with evil intents. Can they trust Cloud and his friends to help them, or should they run? Set after No.6 novel, AU to Advent Children





	1. Chapter 1

**What I have and what I ache for**

Another day passed peacefully, Tifa thought, drying the glasses carefully. Edge might be dirty, but a customer always knew that they would have a drink in a clean glass when they came to the 7th Heaven. With a sad smile, she wondered if that day would bring a change after all, if Cloud would come back finally or if Denzel would get better.

 

Fat chance, she thought to herself and sighed when the door opened with a small creak.

 

‘We’re not open yet,’ she said, not bothering to look up from the glass, fully expecting that it was one of the Turks who came to bother her again. Recently they were coming way too often for her taste, asking about Cloud.

 

‘That’s quite fortunate then, because I came looking for a job,’ answered a crisp voice she’s never heard before. She looked at the stranger, immediately taking in his dark hair of weird ashen colour and his steel cold eyes.

 

‘For a job?’ she repeated, looking the man up and down. He seemed to be hardly older than a teenager and wore a large scarf over his black coat. She would probably never spare a second glance at him if she passed him in the street.

 

‘Yep,’ the man said easily, his lips stretching into a charming smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. All of Tifa’s senses tingled, screaming at her to grab a weapon. She glanced at her stick that was three steps away and resigned to gripping tightly the knife that was much closer.

 

‘Why would you come here to get a job?’ she asked, narrowing her eyes in suspicion but the smile on the stranger’s face didn’t waver at all.

 

‘I’m new here,’ he explained. ‘I thought that you might know of people who need workers. I’ve seen a lot of constructions going on,’ he trailed off speculatively and she raised an eyebrow at his thin frame.

 

‘You? Working constructions?’ she asked with a hint of mocking. The stranger looked at her for a couple of seconds and his expression changed. The charming smile melted into a shier one with such ease that Tifa blinked.

 

‘I’m sorry, I think I’m being rude,’ the man said and even his voice sounded shier now, as though the man was unsure of himself and utterly lost. If he didn’t change his expression so rapidly, Tifa would have immediately left the knife behind and offered the man a cup of tea. ‘My name is Nezumi,’ he introduced himself.

 

‘My name is Tifa,’ she found herself replying nearly before she realised that she spoke. The man’s smile twitched slightly. ‘I could probably use help in the bar in the evenings,’ she added against her better judgement, letting go of the knife and moving around the counter to greet the man.

 

‘It will surely be easier than constructions,’ he laughed and she laughed with him even as a part of her brain wondered what has gotten into her. Since when did she go offering jobs to total strangers? But then, such a handsome man could hardly be dangerous, right? And Cloud was never there to help her and she couldn’t deny that help was needed.

 

‘Will you be able to remove problematic customers?’ she asked. The smile on the man’s face twitched again ever so slightly. She almost wondered if she didn’t imagine that.

 

‘They will never come causing problems again,’ he replied and there was a sharp edge to his voice that made Tifa wish she still had that kitchen knife in her hand. The stranger, however, was unarmed and she was more than capable of handling things bare-handed.

 

‘If you don’t mind asking – what brings you to the Edge?’ she asked, not quite ready to give up on the weird man but not really willing to give him a job. The smile vanished and the man looked away slightly.

 

‘I suppose you could say that I have nothing at home anymore and nothing to lose by coming here,’ he said in a wistful tone that made Tifa’s heart twist. Oh, she knew everything about losing things and people. She was on the best way to lose even more as Cloud grew more and more distant with each passing day. That is, each day that they actually saw each other and that already was a rare occurrence recently.

 

‘Where are you from?’ she asked and the man winced, but didn’t speak up. ‘Right,’ she muttered, wondering why she was even having this conversation. Even if she did need somebody to work in the bar, she could hardly employ a stranger, right? ‘You know, it’s kind of suspicious for somebody to just show up on my doorstep asking for work,’ she pointed out and he looked back at her. She thought she would see pain of loss in his eyes, but no – they were cold and dead.

 

‘I don’t have the habit of telling my life story to people I don’t know,’ he spoke. ‘It tends to get people in trouble if the wrong kind of people hears them,’ he added cryptically and Tifa thought that he might have been one of those who spoke against Shinra. Or maybe his parents did and that was what got them murdered.

 

‘Well, just so you know. If you try anything funny on me, there are those that will avenge me and you will wish you never arrived in Edge,’ she spoke in a harsh tone, surprised when the man laughed shortly.

 

‘Don’t worry Tifa, I mean you no harm,’ he said with the cutest smile she has ever seen. Well, Cloud used to have that cute smile, but he never smiled anymore, at least not at her. Maybe a stranger will make him jealous, she thought, maybe he’ll stay for longer then.

 

‘Alright then, I’ll give you a job,’ she stated firmly and Nezumi smiled at her brightly. She blinked, thinking that he looked to be seventeen or younger when he smiled like that. ‘You do have somewhere to stay I assume,’ she half-asked when his smile melted away. He bit his lip and she didn’t need him to speak to know what he would say.

 

‘The thing is,’ he started but the door opening made him stop. Tifa’s words of “get out of here, we’re closed” died on her lips when none other than Cloud came in, carrying an unmoving body, wrapped in his own cloak so that only snow-white hair was visible. With the corner of her eye, Tifa saw Nezumi stiffen, but she dismissed him for the moment.

 

‘Cloud, who is-’ she stopped when Cloud’s eyes landed on Nezumi and hardened into a glare.

 

‘Who is that?’ he growled.

 

‘This is Nezumi,’ Tifa introduced, sparing a glance at the man who was looking at Cloud curiously. ‘He will help me in the bar. Nezumi, this is Cloud,’ she added. ‘He’s one of the ones who will avenge me, so watch out,’ she finished with a laugh.

 

‘Avenge you?’ Cloud asked.

 

‘Should I try something funny,’ Nezumi replied smoothly and Tifa’s attention turned to the body in Cloud’s arms.

 

‘Who is this?’ she asked as he laid the body on the closest table and Tifa saw that it was a teenager with the palest skin she had seen and an angry, red mark on his left cheek.

 

‘I don’t know,’ Cloud answered. ‘I found him on the flowerbed and he wouldn’t wake up so I thought I’d bring him here. Maybe you can help,’ he added, unfolding the cloak from around the boy.

 

‘He has another mark around his neck,’ Tifa noted uneasily. ‘Do you think it is some mutation of the geostigma?’ she asked, looking at Cloud fearfully.

 

‘It’s a scar,’ said a voice just behind her and she turned to look at Nezumi. She had all but forgotten about the other man and was shocked that he moved so soundlessly to stand so close to her. He wasn’t looking at her, but at the boy Cloud had brought and she couldn’t decipher his feelings at all.

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

Looking at Shion, Nezumi knew that he needed to come up with a good cover story to save their necks now. How it happened that he always landed together with that annoying kid, he didn’t know, but he could hardly leave him be. He didn’t want to risk that this “geostigma” thing was something contagious and the other two would decide to dispose of Shion.

 

‘A scar,’ the man named Cloud half-asked. Really, who would ever get an idea do call their son Cloud, Nezumi thought amazed. He looked up at the man and nodded. ‘And how do you know that?’ he asked and Nezumi swallowed. He really didn’t know enough to make up a convincing story, did he?

 

‘We’re together,’ he started anyway, knowing that he couldn’t hesitate too long. ‘Shion here was tired from our trip, so I told him to rest while I go around looking for a job. I’m really sorry if he destroyed your flowers. We thought it was abandoned,’ he trailed of, not sure what else to say.

 

‘You thought it was abandoned?’ Cloud asked incredulously and Nezumi winced. Wrong kind of lie then, he thought before realising that Cloud stressed “thought” in his question.

 

‘You didn’t tell me you’ve just arrived,’ Tifa said at the same time as Cloud told him that he walked a long way leaving his companion behind and asking if he wasn’t afraid that a destroyed place like that would hold threats that a kid couldn’t handle.

 

‘Not that you are armed,’ the man sneered and only then Nezumi noticed that the huge thing attached to the man’s back was indeed a sword. I won’t last long with a dagger, he thought wryly. It didn’t slip his attention that wherever the man found Shion was destroyed, not just abandoned. Really, if they were supposed to arrive to this weird world together, couldn’t they at least find themselves together?

 

There was no doubt in Nezumi’s head that three days ago he found himself in a different world, since he woke up in a different place than he went to sleep in and nobody knew of places he knew. Hell, nobody even heard about No. 6 and that was a damn big give away. Also, his mice were gone and he knew they wouldn’t just leave him. Grateful that people spoke the same language as he did, he spent three days lurking in the shadows and learning about the place where he woke up: a city called Edge.

 

When he found out enough to be able to brave his way through, he approached the bar that he heard was a decent place. Bars were good for getting information and maybe even a job that would provide him money to buy food and find shelter. Even having lived in the West Block he wasn’t too fond of stealing from people who were struggling themselves, no matter what he told to others.

 

He was doing well also, getting the trust of that Tifa woman, when Shion made his dramatic appearance. He didn’t even want to admit the relief that filled his heart when he realised that it was his companion. He grew too fond of the boy and, even when they parted ways, he always intended to find him again. Living in a different world would make that so much more difficult and that was the only thing, besides losing the mice, that Nezumi regretted when he realised what happened. But now Shion was here and- And he was unconscious?

 

Eyes widening at the realisation, he rushed to the table where his friend was and placed two fingers against his neck, feeling the warmth and the faint pulse. Relief washed over him and he slapped the cheek of the boy gently.

 

‘Come on sleeping princess,’ he muttered, all too aware of their audience. ‘Don’t tell me you want a kiss to wake up, eh?’

 

‘What are you talking about?’ Cloud asked, making Nezumi look up at him. ‘I told you he wouldn’t wake up so what’s this nonsense?’

 

‘Old fairy tale from back home,’ Nezumi replied with a wistful smile, turning back to the boy and then looking at Tifa. She met his gaze and he could see that it would be easy to get whatever off her now. She had the expression that worried mothers get. Trust Shion to bring the best out of everybody, he thought with a mental smirk. ‘You wouldn’t know where we could stay, would you?’ he asked, fighting to keep his voice tired and worried, rather than smug. Well, he was worried, but the kid defeated the parasitic wasp so what was out there that could kill him?

 

‘You can stay right here, we have-’ Tifa started, surprising Nezumi.

 

‘Are you crazy?’ Cloud cut in. ‘You don’t know anything about them! What if he’s contagious?’ he asked and Nezumi didn’t need to look at him to know that he pointed to Shion. ‘What if Denzel or Marlene-’ he cut himself of abruptly and Nezumi allowed himself a small smirk, that he tried to hide by looking down, before turning his carefully worried face back to Tifa.

 

‘We will pay you back everything as soon as we can get money,’ he offered. ‘And I promise that there is nothing contagious about Shion, possibly except for optimism,’ he added with the tiniest of smiles, looking down at the unconscious boy. He grew serious and looked back at Tifa. ‘The scars are a memory of a very nasty encounter with a parasitic wasp. He almost died as well as,’ he finished sadly.

 

‘Cloud, we cannot kick them out,’ Tifa said, turning to the man. Nezumi looked at him as well, careful to keep the sad expression on his face. ‘Nezumi told me that he has nothing back home and-’

 

‘There are no wasps that kill or give you scars like that,’ Cloud didn’t let her finish, glaring coldly at Nezumi. Oh well, he thought, it’s worth a try.

 

‘There have been rumours that the wasps were not exactly natural,’ he admitted unenthusiastically, hoping that this world also had some horrible people ruling it. If the ruins near Edge were anything to go by, then the recent past wasn’t pleasant. The looks that Tifa and Cloud exchanged were indeed promising.

 

‘Could Shinra have-’ Tifa started and Nezumi committed the name to memory. He needed to know much more about this world if he was going to fool everybody and now it was not only his life that was in line. Gently, he untangled the cloak from around Shion, noticing that the boy was still wearing that brown coat. A fond smile found its way to his lips before he remembered himself and schooled his expression into one of resignation.

 

‘I’m sorry I disturbed you, Tifa,’ he said quietly, gathering Shion’s unmoving body in his arms. ‘We don’t want to cause trouble, so we will just go. Do you know of any place where we could find shelter and maybe medical attention?’ he asked, looking up at her. Her lips pursed into a thin line and she glared behind him, at Cloud.

 

‘We cannot kick them out,’ she said forcefully. ‘Unarmed and like that they don’t stand a chance if they happen upon the wrong kind of people,’ she added and by the resigned sigh, Nezumi guessed that she won over her friend.

 

‘If something bad comes out of that it’s not my fault,’ Cloud warned her. Giving Shion’s shoulder a little squeeze, Nezumi looked down.

 

‘This would be a good time to wake up, don’t you think?’ he muttered but there was no response. He looked back up at Tifa, who smiled at him encouragingly before motioning for him to follow her. He did so and heard Cloud follow after him.

 

They walked past the bar and upstairs. He thought he heard children talking in one of the rooms and filed it away for further investigation. Denzel and Marlene, he suspected, who were a possible leverage should Cloud ever become a nuisance. That is, if he would face the man without that gigantic blade.

 

‘We have a spare bedroom for when Barret comes by to visit Marlene, but he’s just left, so I suppose you two can stay here a couple of days until we fix something permanent,’ Tifa said, letting Nezumi in to a room just next to the one with kids.

 

‘Why don’t you also tell him what kind of protection you have here while you’re at it,’ Cloud growled behind him and Nezumi hid a smile. ‘I’ll stay for the moment to make sure that they are no threat,’ he added and, from Tifa’s expression, Nezumi gathered that she hoped to hear something like that. Oh well, he wasn’t going to get in the way of the two lovers if he could help it.

 

‘Thank you so much,’ Nezumi said, placing Shion on the only bed in the room.

 

‘I open the bar at seven,’ Tifa continued, a small smile of acknowledgement letting him know that she didn’t miss his thanks. ‘We can make a deal that you two can stay here and you work for me and there will be no debts. When your friend’s alright we can find you proper accommodation and then you’ll get a normal salary,’ she added and he nodded in agreement.

 

‘This is very kind of you,’ he said. With another smile, Tifa closed the door and the last thing Nezumi saw was Cloud’s frown. He smirked and turned to Shion. ‘Well then, sleeping beauty, how about you sleep a while longer, huh?’ he muttered. ‘I’m pretty sure that guy is listening at the door and it would do us no good if I had to explain everything to you now.’

 

**})i({**

 

Cloud watched Tifa go down to the bar and leaned against the wall soundlessly. With his keen hearing, he was sure to catch whatever it was that Nezumi would say although he wasn’t sure what it could be.

 

He thought he heard him say something about explaining while Tifa was still making too much noise on the staircase, but afterwards silence filled that room. In the room across the corridor, Denzel and Marlene were arguing over something and Cloud knew that he should leave before they see him. He was about to go when Nezumi cleared his throat in the guest room. What the-

 

His heart skipped a beat when the clear voice sang through the door. Such a beautiful voice, he thought finding it difficult to focus on the words themselves. And he wasn’t even trying to hide it, he thought as the voice became louder. Or was it only in his head that he heard it louder? His soul was definitely filled with the sound and Cloud thought with amazement that there was some power in that voice.

 

Absentmindedly he noticed that Denzel and Marlene stopped fighting. Could they have heard the song as well?

 

With fast and determined steps, he went away but the soothing influence of Nezumi’s song didn’t leave him. Due to the experiments he had been subjected to, he could still hear the voice when he reached the bar, but he knew it was no chance that Tifa did. Yet still, she looked up at him with a truly angelic smile.

 

‘It’s so good that you’re here,’ she said in a soft tone and Cloud tried to convince himself that it was not the influence of that song, just her own happiness. Yes, for sure, he thought. Tifa wanted him back in the 7th Heaven and she was just happy that he said he’d be here for a while. He was about to open his mouth when the door opened and they both turned to see a tall, blond man entering the bar.

 

In amazement, Cloud watched how the man’s expression softened.

 

‘Cid! It’s good that you’re here,’ he exclaimed and the blond focused on him with a rare smile. Cloud felt a shudder travel down his spine as he wondered about the cause of the smile.

 

‘Hey there Spiky!’ the man greeted him and turned to say hi to Tifa as well. ‘I was thinking to just pop by and tell you that everything’s fine. I have to go,’ he added.

 

‘Please stay here until I’m back,’ Cloud requested. His heart told him that Nezumi was no threat and really, whoever could sing like that couldn’t be bad. However, he was not going to trust strangers implicitly and especially not if that stranger could affect them all so deeply with nothing more but a song!

 

‘You’re going away?’ Tifa asked with disappointment. ‘You said you’d stay,’ she reminded him.

 

‘I just need to ask a couple of questions,’ he told her. ‘I’ll be back before nightfall and I’ll stay like I promised,’ he added, already heading for the door. With any luck, Rufus Shinra would know enough about Shinra’s research projects to tell him if they ever experimented with wasps. There was something about Nezumi’s story that didn’t sound convincing and he was going to check if they didn’t lie.

 

‘Why do I need to stay?’ Cid asked, but Cloud didn’t pause to answer. Anyway, Tifa did it for him, telling him about the two strangers that were up in the guest room and that Cloud didn’t trust them. Damn right I don’t, Cloud thought, slamming the door behind him.

 

His bike was parked behind the bar. He found it with a grim smile and sat on the seat before an impulse told him to look up. Nezumi was standing by the guest room window, watching him and, when he noticed that Cloud saw him, he smiled. The smile seemed friendly, but there was something predatory on its edge. Or was it the gleam in the grey eyes?

 

With a growl of annoyance, Cloud looked away and kicked the motorbike into life. Nezumi was not to be trusted, he decided as he sped away, past the city and up a mountain where he knew the president of Shinra Company was staying.

 

Twenty minutes later he was entering the Healing complex only to be met by a paralyser rod that would strike his face if he hadn’t blocked it with his sword. He glared into the green eyes of Reno.

 

‘I need to see President Shinra,’ he growled as both he and Reno stood down. They knew they were not enemies anymore. Nobody was enemies anymore when the task of rebuilding their lives was such a daunting one.

 

‘What business do you have with the president?’ Reno asked instead of letting him pass and Cloud fought to not attack him again. They both knew that he could take on any of the Turks without the slightest problem. The Turk smirked and motioned him to follow. Wordlessly, he complied.

 

They passed by Tseng, who nodded a polite greeting at Cloud. Knowing that the man was Zack’s friend, he nodded back but didn’t spare a moment to chat. He needed his questions answered and, if his suspicions were correct, some people would regret ever setting their foot in 7th Heaven. Reno opened the door and Cloud entered the room, unsurprised to find Rude standing by the room’s only window. He merely glared at the black man and waited.

 

The second door opened moments later and Cloud watched as an automatic wheelchair rolled into the room soundlessly. A veiled man was sitting on the chair and Cloud smirked at the uselessness of the game. He could feel the stink of geostigma wafting through the air. He knew the stench all too well after all and he supposed that the president knew that.

 

‘Cloud,’ the man on the wheelchair said in a pleasant voice. ‘To what do I owe this rare pleasure?’ he asked and Cloud could just imagine the fake smile twisting the lips that he couldn’t see in the shadows of the veil.

 

‘Rufus Shinra,’ he greeted the man. ‘I have questions,’ he explained. The two of them maintained a strained kind of relationship of exchanging favours. Usually it meant that Cloud was delivering something for Shinra, but every once in a while Cloud had questions or needed help.

 

‘Ask me your questions,’ Rufus said calmly. Cloud wondered if he could predict the questions that he would ask or if his calmness was due to ignorance.

 

‘I want to know about Shinra’s genetic experiments,’ he stated firmly. The man on the wheelchair visibly flinched. The veil on his face shifted slightly and Cloud could see the corner of his lips.

 

‘Genetic experiments?’ Rufus asked as though no such thing ever happened. Cloud scowled at him, hoping that the man could see through the veil.

 

‘Give me the credit of not denying that Shinra conducted genetic experiments,’ he growled. For a moment Shinra looked like he was going to speak, but he probably remembered just whom exactly was in front of him and he looked away.

 

‘I do not know details of those,’ he said quietly instead and Cloud smiled in grim satisfaction. ‘No records were saved to my best knowledge either, so I’m not sure if I can answer your questions.’

 

‘Let’s give it a try anyway,’ Cloud decided. ‘Did anybody ever experiment on wasps?’ he asked almost entirely sure of the answer he was going to get. Shinra turned back to look at him and Cloud could only wonder if he was surprised or upset. ‘Something potentially lethal, some sort of parasitic wasp,’ he added, hoping to jog the memory of the president.

 

A long moment passed before the man in front of him shook his head.

 

‘I don’t remember any projects that would deal with wasps,’ he said softly and hesitated before continuing. ‘Hojo might have had projects that he kept secret of course, but I dare say that he wasn’t interested in insects,’ he added with audible dislike at the very mention of the crazy scientist. Cloud fought to not wince at the memory of the madman.

 

‘How sure are you of that?’ he asked, already imagining how he would make Nezumi tell him the truth. Shinra said that he was fairly sure but couldn’t promise anything of course and asked, in exchange, why Cloud was interested. Rather than answering, Cloud asked him if there are any records of parasitic wasps that would target human beings.

 

‘What a strange concept,’ Rufus replied with a quiet laugh. ‘I have never heard about anything like that but, as you might guess, biology was never my main interest,’ he added in a pleasant tone. ‘Is there any reason why you’re so interested in that topic so suddenly?’

 

‘Maybe there is,’ Cloud muttered evasively. He wasn’t going to say anything about the strangers who were probably still in the guest room above 7th Heaven, not until he was sure that they deserved the attention of the Turks.

 

‘Rude,’ Rufus spoke. ‘Ask Tseng to look up the records compiled by the Company on the biosphere of the planet,’ he ordered and the black man spoke to the intercom quietly. ‘In the meantime, Cloud, tell me what worries you’, he added, turning to Cloud and the latter could hear worry in his voice.

 

‘There is nothing worrying me,’ he said calmly, wishing that he could see the expression on the president’s face.

 

‘No suspicious appearances on the edges of existence?’ Rufus asked and Cloud narrowed his eyes at him. Did that man know anything about those strangers? Could he have sent them to bother Cloud?

 

‘Why would you ask that?’ he asked back to gain some time. Rufus made a displeased noise.

 

‘I give you all the answers I can, Cloud, and this is how you repay me?’ he asked. ‘I want to know because I heard that the cases of geostigma are multiplying,’ he explained. ‘And somehow I don’t think that it is accidental.’

 

‘Nothing is ever accidental, is it?’ Cloud asked. ‘Not even your question so tell me: is there anybody we should beware of?’

 

‘No, there is nothing you should worry about, Cloud,’ Rufus said. Rude cleared his throat and informed him that no parasitic wasps at all are listed in the databases that survived and that, according to Tseng, those databases are rather complete. In any case, according to Tseng, such a thing as a parasitic wasp targeting humans would surely be noticed by the population.

 

‘Thank you,’ Cloud replied with a nod and turned to go.

 

‘I hope to hear the reasons for those questions soon, Cloud,’ Rufus said, making Cloud freeze on the spot. ‘Otherwise I might have to send my Turks to investigate,’ he added and it was a thinly veiled threat, Cloud knew.

 

‘Your Turks are not needed in Edge,’ he said harshly and left the room. Nobody stopped him as he went out of the building and he didn’t see anybody out where he parked his bike. Putting the sword back into its compartment, Cloud decided to go to the church rather than directly back to 7th Heaven. He needed the time to think.

 

He kicked the machine into live and left, not caring to look back. He had fully expected to hear that Shinra made no experiments on wasps. Even if Hojo was unpredictable, he wasn’t interested in things smaller than humans and he would disregard any insects, no matter how deadly. Also, if there had been an outbreak of some “natural” disaster, the Turks would know.

 

Unless it happened in Wutai, his brain supplied. Consequently, once he arrived to the church, he called Yuffie only to be informed that no such thing existed and be asked if he didn’t have enough of horrors in his life to invent new ones. With a heavy sigh, he walked into the semi-ruined building, remembering the shock of finding a sleeping boy on the flowerbed.

 

Who was that? He couldn’t help but worry that bringing the boy to 7th Heaven wasn’t a smart move after all. What if he was something dangerous? His white hair certainly made Cloud think to Sephiroth, yet he couldn’t quite imagine the nemesis of the world returning in such a fragile body.

 

‘What have I gotten myself into?’ he muttered to himself, staring at the flowers.

 

‘Nothing that you can’t take on, kiddo,’ he heard on the wind and smiled sadly, closing his eyes as he remembered his friend and mentor. Zack. Oh Zack, if you only were here to take it on with me, he thought wistfully.

 

‘Dangerous things will come, Cloud,’ another voice spoke. ‘Those two you are worrying about are just in need of a shelter,’ she added.

 

‘You know of them?’ he asked out loud, forgetting that it was pointless. The creations of his mind could read his thoughts after all and he dared not hope that Zack and Aeris were somehow present in reality. No, it was only his tired mind fighting against the confusion.

 

‘I brought them here,’ Aeris’ voice said and the wind carried a gentle laugh. Right, so now his mind decided to play even crueller tricks on him, he thought, even though he knew that he was lying to himself. Somehow, Aeris was there and so was Zack.


	3. Chapter 3

Having ensured himself that Shion was breathing and comfortable, Nezumi went downstairs, thinking that he could just as well help Tifa preparing the bar for the evening. He didn’t mind the work and he wanted her to see him in the best light possible, especially if Cloud was going to be suspicious still. Besides, he could maybe get some information about their situation.

 

He wasn’t prepared to see another man sitting with Tifa, but he quickly swallowed his fear and smiled slightly at the stranger. Tifa introduced him as a friend and asked if he wanted something to eat because he looked like he could use some food.

 

‘Well, getting food was not always easy on the way,’ Nezumi said with a bashful smile. It wasn’t even a lie either. He just forgot to mention that “on the way” was not necessarily leading to Edge. Tifa told him to help himself to the pastries that she baked and said that he should take some upstairs to his friend as well.

 

‘He’s still unconscious,’ he told her, only partly playing the worry. Just before he left a thought struck him and now he wondered if Shion came to this world at the same time as him. Because if he did and he was unconscious for three days than it wasn’t a good sign.

 

‘Who is?’ Cid asked in a rough voice and Nezumi told him that he arrived to Edge with a friend. ‘I see,’ Cid muttered, eyeing Nezumi up and down. ‘And why doesn’t Cloud trust you?’

 

‘Cloud is just being careful,’ Tifa commented. ‘You know him,’ she added and Cid grunted in reply.

 

‘And he should be,’ Nezumi said, getting surprised glances from the other two. He smiled slightly. ‘I’m not saying that I’m bad or something, you know, but this place doesn’t look that safe either,’ he explained.

 

‘I suppose,’ Tifa muttered. ‘It has never been safe under the plate and after Shinra fell and Sephiroth destroyed everything it wasn’t safe anywhere,’ she spoke. ‘It’s getting better now, with Reeve and WRO and with the new president who seems to want to atone for Shinra Company’s sins’, she added.

 

‘It’ll take more than paying for some renovation to make up for draining the planet’s life force like they did,’ Cid grumbled. Nezumi noted all the facts in his head, glad that eating excused him from taking active part in the conversation.

 

‘They have to start somewhere,’ Tifa pointed out. ‘I think he’s already doing good compared to his father.’

 

‘That is not difficult, Tifa,’ Cid countered. ‘You can hardly be worse than a tyrannical monster that his father was, gathering all the money and ordering the creation of SOLDIER to wage his wars.’

 

This was getting better with every moment, Nezumi thought.

 

‘Don’t let Cloud hear you badmouthing SOLDIER,’ Tifa warned quietly, sparkling Nezumi’s curiosity.

 

‘Why?’ he asked, figuring that it was a safe question. He wasn’t supposed to know Cloud, he assumed, although the mildly surprised expression of Cid made him wonder.

 

‘He had friends in the formation,’ Tifa explained after a moment of hesitation. ‘For a while we even thought that he was one of them with those shining eyes and that amazing strength,’ she added. So Cloud is very strong, Nezumi thought, I better not anger him then.

 

‘He’s as good as one of them,’ Cid grumbled. ‘Probably even better since he was the one to defeat Sephiroth and the general was supposed to be the best,’ he added. Definitely not anger Cloud, Nezumi amended. Tifa smiled fondly and he didn’t need any words to know what she felt for Cloud.

 

‘It must be a good feeling to have him around then,’ he ventured with a smile worthy of Shion, but Tifa’s own smile faded and Cid looked away.

 

‘If he wasn’t so guilt ridden,’ the blond man muttered.

 

‘He’s not often here,’ Tifa admitted. ‘He’s always escaping,’ she added. Nezumi wanted to ask about it, but she looked at the clock and gasped, before launching into a lengthy description of all his duties as a bartender. A glance at the clock told Nezumi that it was seven and his work would soon began in its earnest.

 

By the time the first customer opened the door, his head was ready to explode with all the information, but Tifa assured him that mistakes would be forgiven on the first night. Since there was still no sign of Cloud, Nezumi could actually believe her. Still, he did his best to serve people who flowed into the bar in large groups. Many greeted Tifa friendly and many times Nezumi had to repeat his story.

 

He hoped he never forgot any important part as his improvisation skills were rarely tested against repeating the same story over and over again to different people and in different circumstances. Back in the West Block everybody knew him by reputation and he never had to explain himself. When he assumed roles it was only one-time things and he usually discarded his half-personalities as soon as they were not required.

 

Every day I learn a new thing, he thought wryly some time close to nine. He chatted with the customers pleasantly, hoping that the bar would close soon. Besides being physically tired, he was emotionally exhausted for putting up a friendly act. How Shion managed to smile all the time he had no idea. His cheeks were already hurting and it hasn’t even been a full day!

 

He was just pouring a drink to one of the regulars, when the door banged open and he looked up, eyes widening at the hateful glare that Cloud cast him. Not good, he thought, whatever he found out on his little trip is not good for us. He was almost reaching for the dagger concealed in his sleeve when he remembered that the man was apparently extremely strong. Can I take him on? Maybe I’m faster?

 

He was spared finding answers to those questions because suddenly the bar grew quiet and, with a sinking feeling in his stomach, Nezumi turned to the source of the disturbance. Sure enough, Shion stumbled into the room, drawing everybody’s attention with his snow-white hair and skin like a beacon in the night. Those closer by gasped, probably at the unnatural colour of Shion’s eyes or the angry red scar.

 

He watched as the boy looked around until their gazes met. He forced a small smile onto his face, watching how confusion cleared into the brightest of smiles. He could almost see the thoughts forming in Shion’s head and, before his friend had the chance to voice them, he all but threw himself on him, embracing him with relief that was only partly an act.

 

‘Oh Shion! It’s so good that you’re awake,’ he exclaimed for the benefit of their audience. He buried his head in the shiny, white hair near Shion’s left ear and whispered, hoping to convey all the importance of his words. ‘Don’t say anything. Don’t ask anything, I will explain when we are alone.’

 

‘Alright,’ Shion whispered back and wrapped his arms around Nezumi who was suddenly weak with relief. He flinched when a gentle hand touched his shoulder and he looked up at Tifa’s smiling face.

 

‘Help your friend back up and make sure he eats something,’ she said. ‘The bar is no place for children,’ she added. Nezumi hid the mocking grin that he wanted to throw at Shion. Again he was thought to be much older than the white-haired boy.

 

‘Sure, I’ll be back down here immediately,’ he said, noticing that Shion flinched at his words. Tifa must have noticed that as well, because she turned to him and suggested that he goes to read stories for the kids upstairs if he doesn’t want to be alone. Shion’s face brightened again at the mention of stories and Nezumi wondered yet again how the kid could be so optimistic.

 

At least I delay the confrontation with Cloud, Nezumi thought as he picked up some food from the kitchen and led Shion upstairs. Tifa followed them, presumably to introduce them to the kids.

 

**})i({**

 

Walking behind Nezumi, Shion wondered what was going on. The last thing he remembered was being hit on the head while on his way home from the old West Block. He went that way every week, paying a visit to the underground room where he had spent the best days of his life.

 

Things changed since then. With the fall of the wall around No. 6 came more problems than he anticipated and he was glad that his mother, Inukashi and Rikiga were there to help him deal with everything. He promised that he would make sure the history wouldn’t repeat itself and he was the only one who knew the whole truth, after Nezumi left. Consequently, it was his task to ensure that everybody knew the truth and that they learned to live the new life.

 

It hadn’t been easy. The people from the West Block were tougher than the residents of the city and they didn’t take rules very well. Theft, beatings and even rapes spread through the once peaceful places. Destruction ruled for a couple of weeks until Shion got a hold of keys to retention cells in the border areas and locked everybody up so that they had to listen to what he had to say.

 

Not everybody liked what they heard, but everybody agreed to try and live together so Shion let them out of the cells and asked them to share and help each other. His disappointment was indescribable when the theft continued, although to a smaller scale. However, he wasn’t going to give up. With unrelenting stubbornness and all the energy he had, he worked on gathering the pieces. He found people who knew how to run the city and convinced them to help him. He found people who knew how to remove the wall and change it into building material for houses. He found people who could teach others and asked them to start schools for everybody.

 

It was hard work, but every week he took a day for himself. Every week he trekked alone to the West Block and walked down the familiar steps. Every week he spent a whole day reading books, memorising their content and wishing that Nezumi would be back. Such a bittersweet victory it was without Nezumi to share it with, he thought every day.

 

Weeks turned into months. Almost a year passed and things were starting to look better for No. 6 and the West Block. People started to get the hang of the new reality and thefts decreased to what Shion found out were reasonable levels. Nezumi’s absence was the only thing dampening Shion’s spirits.

 

He was going home from their room when a sharp pain to the back of his head made him gasp. He barely had time to think about the possible danger before everything turned black. When he opened his eyes next time he was in an unfamiliar room, laying on the only bed.

 

Somebody must have helped me, he thought, getting up with a small gasp of pain as his head protested against the movement. But where am I, he wondered. Looking outside the window didn’t help because the view was absolutely alien to him. Furthermore it looked more like the West Block than the Lost Town and he had long since entered Lost Town when he was hit.

 

Voices filtered through the door and he decided to see who was there. Without hesitation, he left the room and found himself in a dark staircase. The voices seemed to be coming from downstairs and he followed them.

 

He stumbled a bit at the entrance to the bright room and sheltered his eyes momentarily blinded and suddenly aware of the silence that spread around him. He dared a look to see what must have been a bar. It certainly explained the level of noise, he thought, looking around uncertainly until his eyes met the familiar face.

 

He blinked but the face was still there and a smile found its way to his face. Of course it was Nezumi who saved him, Nezumi always saved him, he thought. He wasn’t prepared for Nezumi to throw himself at him with a dramatic exclamation. However, his friend’s next words were much more in character.

 

‘Don’t say anything. Don’t ask anything, I will explain when we are alone,’ Nezumi whispered urgently into his ear. Shion could hear that he meant it so he only whispered “alright” back and wrapped his arms around Nezumi, happy to not be alone. Everything will be alright now, he thought, because Nezumi is here.

 

When the older boy flinched, he moved away slightly and found himself looking at a black haired woman with a kind face. She suggested that he has something to eat and goes away because bars were no places for children. Internally he bristled at being called a child while Nezumi was obviously allowed in the bar but, mindful of his friend’s request, he didn’t say anything.

 

‘Sure, I’ll be back down here immediately,’ Nezumi said. No, don’t leave me, Shion thought, flinching subconsciously. The woman must have misread his response because she suggested that he reads stories to kids and, even though Shion wasn’t really in mood to be away from Nezumi, he couldn’t help the smile that stretched his lips at the very mention of stories. Back in the times when they lived in the West Block, he loved reading stories to kids.

 

‘I am working here now, Shion,’ Nezumi said as they walked up the stairs to where Shion came from. ‘I promise I’ll come to you as soon as the work is done, but we need money to be able to live here, you surely understand that,’ he added.

 

‘Of course Nezumi,’ Shion replied, trusting his friend. Why Nezumi thought he needed to work to have place to live when Shion’s mother would gladly let him stay with them was beyond Shion, but he trusted his friend unwaveringly.

 

‘And this is my boss, Tifa,’ Nezumi added when they reached the landing. ‘Tifa, this is Shion.’

 

‘I’m glad that you’re alright, Shion,’ Tifa said with a bright smile. ‘We were worried about you,’ she added. Shion wanted to say that of course he was alright because Nezumi would never let him get hurt, but one glance at Nezumi’s tense expression stopped him. He only smiled at the woman and she turned to knock on a door before poking her head in.

 

‘Denzel, Marlene,’ she called quietly. ‘Do you want Shion to read you stories?’ she asked.

 

‘Who is Shion?’ a girl’s voice replied and Tifa opened the door fully with a laugh. Shion saw a girl and a boy sitting on one of the beds and he smiled at them, waving his hand. They both gasped and reflexively he raised his other hand to the scar on his neck, wanting to hide it. Most children reacted like that the first time.

 

‘You haven’t met them yet,’ Tifa was talking. ‘But Nezumi is helping me in the bar. For the moment he and Shion will be staying in the guest room,’ she added in explanation and ushered Shion and Nezumi into the cosy room. ‘Guys, meet Denzel and Marlene,’ she spoke to them.

 

‘Are they your kids?’ Shion asked, surprised when Tifa stared at him for a moment before laughing.

 

‘No, no,’ she protested. ‘Me and Cloud are just looking after them,’ she explained. ‘That is I am because,’ she trailed off.

 

‘Well I saw Cloud come back just a moment ago,’ Nezumi spoke and all eyes were suddenly on him. Before Shion realised what was happening, the two kids exclaimed “Cloud is here” and ran out of the room.

 

‘Oh no,’ Tifa muttered. ‘Denzel, Marlene!’ she shouted and ran after them. Surprised, Shion turned to Nezumi, who pushed the door closed.

 

‘Unexpected,’ he friend muttered. ‘But convenient, don’t you think?’

 

‘What is going on Nezumi?’ Shion asked finally. ‘Why are you working to get a place to live when you could stay with my mom and me? Or even stay in your old room, in our room,’ he added. They were alone after all, weren’t they? Nezumi looked at him carefully.

 

‘Where do you think we are?’ he asked and Shion looked at him in surprise.

 

‘Somewhere in the West Block I suppose,’ he replied finally, hesitation audible in his voice. ‘Right?’ he asked when Nezumi winced.

 

‘I don’t know how you got here but I woke up in this place a couple of days ago and I still don’t know where we are but nobody here even heard about No. 6,’ he said, ignoring Shion’s gasp. ‘I was far away anyway, looking at other cities to see if they are as bad as No. 6. Everybody everywhere was talking about what happened, about what we achieved. Then one day I wake up somewhere else than I was when I fell asleep and nobody knows a thing,’ he added.

 

‘Are the other cities as bad?’ Shion asked, watching how Nezumi’s eyes widened before he shook his head.

 

‘You never change, do you?’ Nezumi asked back but didn’t wait for reply. ‘Numbers 1 and 5 seem to be ok. 3 and 4 are kind of closing up and No. 2 is all but closed. However, I had no ways of infiltrating them yet and I suppose I never will, now,’ he trailed of.

 

‘Why not?’ Shion asked, processing the news. Nezumi laughed and told him all his suspicions about being in a different world. Shion couldn’t quite believe what he was hearing, but he couldn’t voice his doubts because Nezumi was talking too fast.

 

‘Finally, don’t let them know anything is off,’ his friend finished and made a pause to breathe. ‘Cloud especially will be difficult to convince, so-’ he stopped abruptly and put an arm around Shion’s arms. ‘I think we should see if Tifa needs help getting the kids back upstairs,’ he said as though they had been discussing that the whole time.

 

‘Uh, I suppose,’ Shion replied uncertainly. Just then the door to the room opened and they turned to see Tifa and then a man, holding both kids on his arms. He must be very strong to hold them like that, Shion thought.

 

‘It seems that Denzel and Marlene don’t want to leave Cloud alone,’ Tifa explained with a laugh. The man looked at Shion and Nezumi and visibly flinched when his eyes met Shion’s. His eyes darkened. ‘I suppose you don’t mind to listen to his stories instead of reading, do you, Shion?’ she asked. Nezumi’s hand on his arm squeezed tighter and he looked at his friend in surprise, but no emotions other than amusement were visible on his face.

 

‘We’ll do perfectly fine, Tifa,’ the man, most obviously called Cloud, growled. ‘Go to work, both of you,’ he added. Nezumi’s hand relaxed but Shion could see that he was forcing himself.

 

‘I’ll pick you up here later,’ his friend said. When they’re eyes met Shion thought that he wanted to tell him something more, but he wasn’t quite sure what it was.

 

‘I can-’ he started but Nezumi surprised him my leaning to kiss his cheek. In his shock, he nearly missed the whispered words telling him to “stay in this room”. ‘Ok,’ he said uncertainly and Nezumi left, Tifa going behind him.

 

Shion could see that the two kids looked as confused as he felt, but he smiled at them anyway. They smiled back while the man holding them looked Shion up and down carefully. He let the kids down and extended his hand. Shion shook it without hesitation.

 

‘My name’s Cloud,’ the man said.

 

‘My name’s Shion,’ he replied, still smiling brightly. The kids, obviously at the end of their patience, started complaining, telling Cloud that he should sit down and tell them where he has been. Cloud, with a patient smile, told them to settle to sleep. As they were going about putting away their toys and snuggling under the covers, Cloud suggested that Shion takes a seat somewhere as well and makes himself comfortable.

 

‘It’s quite crowded here,’ Cloud said in a friendly tone. ‘Tifa likes to sit on the windowsill when I’m telling them stories,’ he suggested, sitting on the bed closer to the entrance himself.

 

‘That’s a brilliant idea,’ Shion agreed and, wrapping himself in the blanket that Cloud gave him, he settled on the windowsill.

 

Soon enough, Cloud started his story. Shion guessed that he was travelling a lot with the way he discarded the trip itself as boring. With a smile, Shion listened to the description of people and places he’s never heard of, trying to imagine how it looked like. He even forgot about the food that he was given.

 

It was surely interesting to travel, he thought as Cloud recounted a meeting with an exotic merchant somewhere far away. Maybe I can ask Nezumi to take me with him next time. He smiled at the very thought, imagining the outraged expression on Nezumi’s face. But then his friend would relent and say that Shion could go as long as he didn’t complain and Shion would ask when the last time he heard him complain.

 

Silence brought him back to reality and he looked around the room to see the children asleep and Cloud looking at him coldly. What was the look for, he wondered, swallowing in sudden nervousness. He realised now why Nezumi didn’t want him to leave the room alone.

 

‘So, Shion,’ Cloud spoke quietly, drawing out Shion’s name as though he was tasting the sound. ‘Tell me a bit about you,’ he requested, a cold edge to his voice. Oh no, Shion thought, frantically looking for a solution of the situation. Nezumi said to not say anything and he must have had a reason for that. Nezumi always had a reason for everything he did and, even if he didn’t want to share his reasons, Shion learned to trust him unconditionally.

 

He swallowed nervously again when Cloud got up, not making the smallest noise. Suddenly the room didn’t seem cosy anymore. He pushed himself closer to the window when Cloud made his way towards him in graceful and soundless moves.

 

‘W-what would you like to know?’ Shion asked in a small voice. Cloud smirked, stopping a couple of steps away.

 

‘See, I know that Nezumi lied to us,’ he said. ‘People who lie usually mean harm and I will not let anybody harm my friends,’ he added.

 

‘We mean no harm,’ Shion said. It was the first thing that came to his mind.

 

‘Prove it and tell me what happened to make you look like this,’ Cloud challenged. Reflexively, Shion touched the end of the scar on his cheek. ‘There is no such thing as parasitic wasps and if Nezumi is hiding something dangerous then he will regret ever coming here,’ Cloud promised. With an instantaneous flashback of the cave under No. 6, Shion jumped off the windowsill.

 

‘Don’t hurt Nezumi!’ he exclaimed. His eyes widened when he realised that his words could be perceived as a threat.

 

‘Cloud?’ a sleepy voice asked and the man looked away from Shion who sagged in relief. It was obvious that Cloud wouldn’t do anything when Marlene was awake. ‘Cloud, you are not going to leave now, are you?’

 

‘No Marlene,’ Cloud assured the girl. ‘I’ll just show Shion to his room and I’ll be right back, alright?’ he asked. ‘It’s late and I’m sure he’d like to go to sleep as well,’ he added.

 

‘Alright,’ the girl said and propped herself up. ‘Good night Shion,’ she added with a smile.

 

‘Good night Marlene,’ he replied, automatically smiling back. Cloud went to the door and opened it, looking at him and expecting him to follow. He didn’t really have much choice, did he?


	4. Chapter 4

Nezumi was walking up the stairs when he heard a low growl. Worried, he sped up only to find Cloud pinning Shion to the door of the room where he and Nezumi were supposed to stay.

 

‘Hey!’ he exclaimed without hesitation, jumping onto the landing. ‘Pick up someone your own size!’ he added and gulped when Cloud turned to him with a growl.

 

‘As you wish, liar,’ the man replied. Uh oh, Nezumi thought, deciding to not let him know that he had a dagger until he had to. An element of surprise was often an advantage.

 

‘Cloud?’ a questioning voice of Tifa tore through the air.

 

‘They’re not who they seem, Tifa,’ Cloud growled, but kept his voice quiet. Maybe he’s trying to not wake up the kids? Nezumi smirked at the thought, even though he could hardly hope that the kids would be a distraction enough. And Shion would have to get past Cloud in any case. ‘Now boy, don’t try anything funny or-’ he stopped and pulled Shion in front of him. The threat was obvious and Nezumi knew that he couldn’t possibly move fast enough.

 

‘Alright, alright, I lied,’ he admitted. ‘I didn’t think you’d believe me if I told the truth so I lied,’ he added. ‘Let us go and you will never see us again.’

 

‘I don’t think it’ll be that easy,’ Cloud replied. ‘You know too much about us to just be let free. How do we know that you’re not part of some conspiracy, eh? People who valued Shinra Company and would like to get back for the destruction,’ he suggested.

 

‘Look, we have no idea what Shinra Company is,’ Nezumi argued, raising his voice in hope to wake the children. ‘We don’t care, alright? We just want to live our lives somewhere safe. We want a place we can call home. A place where we don’t have to run and hide anymore,’ he added. A bit of dramatics never hurt anybody, he thought, and Tifa certainly had a good heart that would be moved by their dramatic story. And the story that Nezumi would give them would be damn dramatic.

 

‘How can you have no idea what Shinra Company is?’ Tifa asked behind him. Nervously, he licked his lips, thinking that he would probably have to tell them more of the truth than he ever wanted.

 

‘It’s a long story,’ he spoke finally, keeping his tone calm and soothing. ‘Don’t you want to take it downstairs, where we can sit comfortably?’ he suggested. Not letting go of Shion, Cloud motioned for him to move away.

 

‘Let’s do that,’ he said. ‘Tifa, keep an eye on him, will you?’ he asked. Turning around to go downstairs, Nezumi noticed that the woman was standing in a battle stance and he wondered if there was more to her than met the eye. Not like it mattered with Cloud holding Shion, Nezumi thought and walked down the stairs, pretending to not notice Tifa’s cautious gaze or her readiness to pounce.

 

Once they reached the room downstairs, Cloud went up to a table in the middle. He told Shion to take a chair and sit, which the latter complied with quickly. A cold glare stopped Nezumi when he wanted to take a seat next to his friend. He glared right back.

 

‘He’s scared,’ Nezumi said quietly. ‘You don’t think that we can take you on, do you?’ he asked, wanting to point out that even if they had the freedom of movement, they couldn’t go anywhere against Cloud’s will. Before Cloud had a chance to reply, Tifa put a hand on his arm and they shared a long look. Knowing that she’d win, Nezumi dropped onto the chair next to Shion and held his hand out. Their fingers entwined and they shared a quick smile before Nezumi looked back at Cloud and Tifa. They were sitting opposite to them but not close to each other, so that there was no way they could be attacked at the same time.

 

‘Start your story,’ Cloud ordered harshly. Nezumi licked his lips, stalling for time.

 

‘I used to be a lab rat,’ he started bluntly, noticing how both Tifa and Cloud twitched. Cloud’s eyes narrowed at him angrily while Shion squeezed his hand. ‘Where we come from, there was this city, this utopia,’ he started the explanation. ‘Only it wasn’t a utopia. It was a place where people lived and were lied to. A place where people who didn’t fit were captured and killed or experimented on.’

 

‘Where was it?’ Cloud asked. Nezumi smiled sadly.

 

‘Far away from here,’ he said. ‘It was called No. 6 and I hope to never see it again,’ he said and continued, not wanting to answer more questions about the place. ‘When I was thirteen years old, I escaped the lab and I stumbled upon Shion. I was wounded and he helped me, paying dearly for that because in that place helping a wanted person was not taken lightly. I managed to escape that day and four years later, I got the chance to repay the favour. Shion was unjustly accused of murder and was going to be disposed of, so I saved him.’

 

‘That’s hardly a long story,’ Cloud noted.

 

‘It’s hardly the whole story,’ Nezumi countered. The trick to a good lie was to tell as much truth as possible. ‘But I don’t have the words to describe the horror of escape from that place, the fear that we will be caught and killed. Or worse, tortured,’ he exaggerated a bit, knowing that they would have been shot on the spot. ‘I can hardly find words to describe the fear when we found out that Shion was infected and that he could die just when I thought I managed to save him.’

 

‘Infected?’ Cloud picked up immediately.

 

‘The wasp,’ Nezumi muttered. ‘It was not a lie. We don’t know what those wasps were but they attacked suddenly. People were dying all around us, young and healthy people suddenly turning old. Wasps exciting their necks and flying off,’ he trailed of and shuddered, knowing that he should at such a memory. ‘Of course, it created diversion for our escape but every small neck pain,’ he trailed off again, looking away from his audience and wincing at the memories that his words prompted.

 

‘It’s over now,’ Shion whispered to him. When he turned, he saw a small smile on his friend’s face and he thought that it was a perfect part of the act, even if he knew that Shion wasn’t acting. He couldn’t act to save his life, but he didn’t need to pretend in that case. The episode with the wasp was truly terrifying.

 

‘We ran,’ Nezumi continued after a while of silence. ‘We never looked back and we ran. We didn’t have food with us nor spare clothes, nothing. We ran for days, first starving and then exhausted. We found people who helped us, but we were afraid to trust them, so we ran as soon as we had the strength,’ he paused and took a deep breath. ‘Then we somehow found ourselves here. I don’t even know how much time passed but the only thing that we want is to stop running,’ he finished. Shion squeezed his hand and Nezumi knew that Cloud wouldn’t miss the gesture.

 

‘How are we supposed to trust you, if you lied to us in the first place?’ Cloud asked. Nezumi thought that he could hear a gentle, female voice saying “because it’s the truth this time”.

 

‘Because it’s the truth this time,’ he echoed the imagined voice. “Or at least most of it,” the imagined voice amended and Nezumi looked away from Cloud’s shocked expression.

 

‘Most of it?’ Cloud asked and Nezumi’s eyes snapped back to stare at him incredulously. Did Cloud also hear that voice? He looked away with resignation after a moment.

 

‘The rest is just my suspicions and it’s precisely the part you will not believe,’ he said unwillingly.

 

‘Try us,’ Cloud challenged with the tone that said “you don’t have a choice anyway”.

 

‘You never heard about No. 6, did you?’ Nezumi asked, looking back at Tifa and Cloud. They both shook their heads. ‘Do you think it’s normal that such a tragedy slipped your mind?’

 

‘There have been many tragedies the last two years,’ Tifa replied, her tone suggesting that she was reminding him of the fact. Well, if you say so, he thought. He wasn’t going to give up the opportunity to not mention the truth if he could. ‘What you described sounded almost like Midgar and we hardly know all the Shinra cities,’ she added.

 

‘But Shinra have no records of genetically modifying wasps,’ Cloud interjected, drawing Tifa’s surprised gaze. ‘And they have no records of parasitic wasps targeting humans existing in nature either,’ he added.

 

‘We have no idea where they came from,’ Nezumi said with forced calmness. They knew of course, but he wasn’t planning on sharing that part of the story. It was irrelevant.

 

‘And we wish we never met them,’ Shion added, surprising everybody by speaking up. He didn’t look at them though. He was looking down, playing with Nezumi’s fingers. With the corner of his eye, Nezumi could see Tifa’s saddened expression as she watched his friend.

 

‘Aeris thinks we should trust them,’ Cloud spoke after a moment of silence. Nezumi looked at him, committing yet another name to memory. ‘She says she brought them here,’ he added. Oh no, Nezumi thought, if I have to explain now where and how we met that person we’re dead.

 

‘Then we better all go to sleep, no?’ Tifa suggested with a weak smile. ‘Aeris wouldn’t lie to you and she cannot be wrong,’ she added.

 

‘She cannot be wrong, no,’ Cloud agreed. Nezumi noted that he didn’t mention the lying part. ‘Although it worries me that she said she brought them here,’ he added. ‘What does that mean?’ he asked and Nezumi hoped that he was not supposed to answer that question.

 

‘I suppose she guided their feet towards Edge,’ Tifa replied speculatively. ‘The world is big,’ she added. Cloud looked at her and then at Nezumi. Their gazes met and for the longest moment nobody moved.

 

‘If you do something to Tifa or the kids,’ Cloud spoke finally. ‘I will make you regret that those other people who were chasing you didn’t catch up with you before me,’ he promised. Fighting his smile, Nezumi nodded.

 

‘We just want a place to call home,’ he repeated, satisfied when Shion nodded eagerly. He could see that Cloud wanted to say something, but the words died on his lips when he looked at Shion. Or at least it looked like that to Nezumi. Tifa spoke in the silence that fell.

 

‘Let’s go to sleep then. You will find your home in Edge, I promise you,’ she said, getting up. Nezumi and Shion followed her example and so did Cloud a second later. They made their way upstairs and Cloud insisted to lock the door so that Nezumi and Shion couldn’t escape or sneak out to spy or hurt somebody. They didn’t offer any protest to the idea and Nezumi didn’t think it useful to say that if they were determined they would jump out of the window.

 

Having locked them in, Cloud and Tifa disappeared into another room, as Nezumi judged by the sounds that he heard. Shion suggested that they could share a bed and, knowing that it was the most comfortable solution for them both and would give them the possibility to communicate quietly, Nezumi agreed without hesitation.

 

Moments later, cuddled up with Shion because the bed wasn’t big enough to sleep otherwise, Nezumi felt more than heard the other’s giggle.

 

‘You’re such a compulsive liar, Nezumi,’ Shion whispered fondly, snuggling closer. Nezumi laughed.

 

‘It worked, didn’t it?’ he asked in the quietest of whispers. ‘Now go to sleep. From tomorrow on you need to learn everything you can about this world.’

 

‘I will not disappoint you, Nezumi,’ Shion whispered, his voice telling Nezumi that he was about to fall asleep.

 

I know you won’t, he thought, closing his eyes.


	5. Chapter 5

Morning found Tifa down in the bar’s kitchen, preparing breakfast, smiling at nobody in particular. She and Cloud didn’t talk much after they went to their room, but already the man’s presence lifted her spirits. She was itching to ask why he left them in the first place, but she decided against it. If Cloud was ready to talk he would and she was going to wait for him patiently.

 

He was already up and out when she woke and she had a moment of horrible fear that he was gone again before she rushed downstairs. She found him outside, cleaning his bike meticulously and she smiled at him when he looked up. Undaunted by the lack of smile from his side, she came closer and they chatted for a while, until he noted that she should make breakfast.

 

There she was, preparing everything they might want, mindful that two more people would be eating with them. In the meantime, Cloud went to unlock their guests and tell them, and the kids, to get their asses down to eat.

 

She laid everything out on the table that was big enough for the six of them in the same moment as Denzel and Marlene ran down the stairs, dragging Cloud with them and pestering him with questions about whatever it was that he spoke of the previous night. Watching the three of them, she felt warmth inside and couldn’t stop the smile that spread across her face. If only Cloud accepted to be part of their made up family, her life would be complete.

 

Nezumi and Shion came down moments later, the former looking rather uncertain while the latter smiled at them all brightly. Tifa found herself smiling back instinctively, asking them to come to the table and help themselves to breakfast.

 

‘This looks delicious,’ Shion exclaimed, looking at the table with wide eyes. ‘Thank you so much Tifa,’ he added with another bright smile. Tifa thought that she blushed.

 

‘It’s just a breakfast,’ she protested, aware of Cloud’s disapproving glance. ‘Sit please and eat. You both look like you could use some food.’

 

‘I don’t remember when I saw a table this full last,’ Nezumi told her, sitting down. He sounded earnest and from the way Shion’s mood dropped momentarily and the thinness of the two boys, Tifa guessed that he said the truth. ‘Thank you very much, Tifa,’ he added, taking some bread. Next to him, Shion did the same and looked around for what to eat with the bread.

 

‘How old are you two?’ Cloud asked suddenly.

 

‘I’m seventeen and Shion is sixteen,’ Nezumi replied immediately, not letting Shion speak. ‘Well, technically I’m probably eighteen by now and Shion’s almost seventeen,’ he amended and asked for the date. Marlene replied promptly, saying that it was amazing to not know the date.

 

‘Marlene,’ Tifa scolded the girl, mindful of the story Nezumi told them the previous night. It was easy to lose track of time when escaping, she knew that very well. With the corner of her eye, she noticed how Shion’s expression froze when he looked at Denzel. She looked at the boy herself, absentmindedly noting that Nezumi informed Cloud that he was eighteen then and must have missed his birthday when they were escaping.

 

‘What is he looking like that for?’ Denzel asked Tifa quietly, keeping his gaze firmly on the plate in front of him. Shion looked away immediately, blushing at being caught.

 

‘He’s looking at your forehead,’ Nezumi said calmly, but Tifa could see that he was holding back worry. ‘Because that bruise of yours makes him remember some bad stuff,’ he added, putting a calming hand on Shion’s back. Tifa could see the way he looked at the other boy, with fondness and something bordering love.

 

‘Do you have geostigma as well?’ Denzel asked, looking straight at Shion this time.

 

‘I don’t think so,’ Shion replied, looking back at Denzel. ‘Does it hurt?’

 

‘Sometimes,’ Denzel said and winced. Tifa saw Cloud wince at the same time and her eyes widened as realisation crushed her reality into ruins. Cloud had geostigma. Cloud was going to die. Thankfully Marlene and Denzel didn’t notice a thing, she thought, and changed the subject back to breakfast. Almost instantaneously, Shion smiled up at her and she was amazed at the boy. He started talking with Denzel and Marlene as though they were best friends since ages and the kids responded to his enthusiasm easily.

 

She couldn’t help but smile when Shion asked them to repeat some of the other stories Cloud told them because it was so cool what he heard the previous night and he always wanted to travel and- Tifa wondered if he needed to stop to breathe at some point. She laughed at the thought and caught the fond expression on Nezumi’s face again.

 

Even Cloud couldn’t quite keep his grumpy mood with such a chatterbox at the table and gradually, Shion and the kids convinced him to share more stories. As he gave in and described some random village he’s visited, Tifa could see the amazement in the eyes of his audience.

 

She could also see the guarded and focused expression with which Nezumi was listening. He had that expression yesterday as well, when they were talking before the bar opened, but she understood it better now. It was the same expression that Cloud had when he was thinking that something might threaten his friends. It was the expression she remembered on Cloud’s face when they were planning on how to bring Sephiroth down: careful to not miss any vital detail and determined to protect the ones he loved.

 

She smiled at Nezumi encouragingly, thinking that he and Cloud would make good friends if they tried. He sent her a guarded smile back and looked down at his plate, where Shion had put some food for him to eat. She saw him shake his head and poke the other boy’s side. She couldn’t hear what they said to each other, but she could guess.

 

‘Now eat,’ Cloud finished his story and Tifa noticed that the kids haven’t touched their food yet. She scolded them and they giggled, knowing that she wasn’t truly angry. And she really wasn’t. How could she be angry on such a perfect morning?

 

The door opened and the two Turks entering 7th Heaven destroyed Tifa’s morning in a flash. Cloud also scowled at them and Nezumi stiffened in his chair. She wondered if he recognised the suits and identified the two for who they were.

 

‘Sorry to break the family moment,’ Reno said mockingly, looking around the room. His eyes settled on Nezumi and Shion and narrowed in suspicion. ‘What are they doing here?’

 

‘Do you know them?’ Cloud asked back. Could the Turks be the ones chasing Nezumi and Shion? Tifa wondered, glancing at the two boys. They looked rather scared indeed and Tifa could easily imagine that Shinra managed to keep some strongholds hidden. If they escaped from one of them than maybe, she shook her head clear of those insane thoughts. Shinra was done and over with and the president wouldn’t be sitting in Edge if he had options to go somewhere, where he would be respected and feared. Would he?

 

‘No,’ Rude replied to Cloud, snapping Tifa out of her thoughts. ‘We are just surprised that you’re picking up strays. And such unusual ones as well,’ he added in a mocking tone.

 

‘We’re here on business,’ Reno informed them. ‘To follow up on some questions you asked last time,’ he added, looking back at Cloud. The latter glanced at Nezumi and Tifa realised that Cloud went asking around. What if it was a mistake to draw the attention of Shinra to their guests?

 

‘Not here,’ Cloud replied and left the table. The Turks walked out of the bar and Cloud followed them out. Tifa turned to Nezumi, noticing that he looked ready to run and, surprisingly, so did Shion.

 

‘Two years ago,’ she started, getting their attention. ‘Something horrible happened,’ she finished. ‘Do you remember?’

 

‘Uh, outside the city you mean?’ Nezumi asked back. Shion turned to his friend with wide eyes.

 

‘And inside?’ Tifa asked. ‘Nothing happened inside the city?’ she pressed, shocked when Shion shook his head slowly.

 

‘Although,’ he spoke hesitantly. Tifa wasn’t sure what to think of Nezumi’s alarmed expression. ‘Two years ago the first people died,’ he finished quietly.

 

‘The first people?’ Tifa questioned gently, before realising that he meant the victims of the wasps. Could it have been a different way for the planet to retaliate for the sins of Shinra? She used to think that the planet was caring, but after geostigma was discovered, she would not put parasitic wasps past the avenging planet.

 

‘Do you know how the city got energy?’ she asked, wondering how much they would know as kids.

 

‘You mean other than sucking dry everything around it?’ Nezumi asked angrily. ‘We don’t know the details,’ he added in a calmer tone. Cloud came back in that moment and Tifa could see that whatever the Turks told him wasn’t good.

 

‘They said to beware of silver-haired strangers,’ Cloud state simply. ‘They said that something is stirring and suggested that the president would like to ask Shion a couple of questions,’ he added. No later than the words left his lips, Nezumi jumped up from his chair, looking prepared to fight. Instinctively, Tifa followed suit, wondering when things went so wrong.

 

‘Looks like we have to run again, Shion,’ Nezumi said calmly. The other boy got up and pushed his chair away, standing behind Nezumi. ‘Just like the other time,’ he added, glancing at the door.

 

‘I didn’t say that I agreed with them, did I?’ Cloud asked.

 

‘You didn’t need to,’ Nezumi replied. ‘You will not risk the wrath of those guys for two strangers,’ he added, the tone of his voice chilling Tifa’s blood. So they were running from the Turks, she thought, wondering if there was a way out of this situation.

 

‘You would be surprised,’ Cloud countered quietly. ‘So just give me one reason why I should not drag your friend off to Healing Lodge and we’ll forget that this ever happened.’

 

‘They will be back,’ Nezumi argued. ‘Even if you choose to help us now, you will be busy protecting your family when they come with reinforcements,’ he added. He spoke as though he had experience in similar situations and Tifa knew that Cloud could not ignore that.

 

‘There are only four of them here,’ Cloud informed him dryly. ‘And they know they stand no chance against me, so I’d say we’re pretty safe here,’ he added but Nezumi didn’t seem relaxed so Tifa decided to take matters in her hands. She relaxed her stance and smiled at Nezumi and then at Cloud.

 

‘Why don’t we finish our breakfast, huh?’ she asked in a soothing tone. ‘Reno and Rude will not come back to drag you boys away, we will not let them,’ she assured them and put a hand on Cloud’s arm, silently asking him to calm down. She saw him relax his stance minutely and her smile widened when Nezumi seemed to relax as well. ‘We will not let them hurt you,’ she added and went to sit back on her place, between Denzel and Nezumi. The latter took his seat reluctantly although she could see that he was ready to jump back up at the smallest sign of a threat.

 

Cloud also sat down, between Denzel and Marlene, who were both looking rather scared at what happened. They clang to Cloud as soon as he was down and Tifa smiled slightly. If anything, it would calm Nezumi down because now Cloud was as good as immobilised. Shion sat down as well, closer to his friend than before.

 

‘Why would they want to talk with Shion?’ Cloud asked, keeping his voice calm and somewhat friendly. Nezumi shrugged, putting a piece of buttered bread into his mouth.

 

‘I suppose that thanks to your questions they figured out part of the story,’ he said after he had chewed and swallowed the food. ‘My guess is that they are afraid their register might be wrong and they want to pump all blood out of Shion to test it and make and antidote for the venom,’ he added in a casual tone that made a shiver run down Tifa’s spine. How could he talk like that about somebody he cared for?

 

‘Nezumi,’ Shion whispered, looking at his hands. He didn’t seem hungry anymore.

 

‘I told you that would happen if anybody found out that you survived. You never believed me,’ Nezumi said in a cold tone, but his expression softened when Shion looked up at him miserably.

 

‘There’s still the matter of those silver-haired people,’ Cloud pointed out, changing the topic. Tifa knew that it was as close to admitting that he would protect the other two as Cloud would ever come and she shot him a quick smile. ‘Rufus doesn’t utter warnings without cause,’ he added coldly. ‘And I don’t like the thought of who else was silver-haired.’

 

Tifa shivered at the thought.


	6. Chapter 6

The incident with Turks, as Shion liked to think about it after he learned that the men in suits were called Turks, put Nezumi on high alert. Gone was the relaxed version of his friend from that morning and Shion knew he wasn’t coming back any time soon. To a casual observer, Nezumi seemed relaxed and comfortable in his new job in 7th Heaven, but Shion could see the truth. He could see that his friend was constantly looking for escape routes.

 

A little bit more obviously, Nezumi asked Shion to never leave his sight as well. It wasn’t very hard to do and Shion didn’t mind, but he started to wonder if it wasn’t better to simply run somewhere else rather than live in fear like that.

 

Over the time, they learned more and more about the world they found themselves in and, with each discussion, their story was more and more compatible until Cloud and Tifa really did believe that No. 6 was just some stronghold of Shinra and the parasitic wasps were the revenge of the planet. The latter was of course somewhat true, with the little catch that it wasn’t the same planet avenging the sins of humanity.

 

On the good side, there was no wall between Nezumi and Shion now, no hate for the city that pushed them away before, even when everything else brought them together. In this world, Nezumi could rest and live a life without the past hanging over him. Even though they never spoke about it, Shion could see that Nezumi was more relaxed. Even after the Turk incident.

 

He smiled slightly as he made his way downstairs to where Nezumi was doing the dishes. They sank into a routine easily, with Nezumi doing most of the work in the bar during the day and Tifa wondering about opening a restaurant. Shion spent his days with the two of them and, more often than not, with the kids to whom he was reading stories. When he ran out of books that Tifa had, which was surprisingly fast, he was reciting the books he read in Nezumi’s place.

 

He always had excellent memory.

 

‘Good morning, sleepy head,’ Nezumi greeted him lightly, when Shion entered the bar. ‘Did you sleep well?’

 

‘Good morning Nezumi,’ Shion replied, not bothering to answer the question as he looked around the bar. ‘Tifa’s not here?’

 

‘She took the kids shopping, so it’s just you and me,’ Nezumi answered as Shion made his way to the counter, where breakfast was waiting for him. He didn’t miss the collection of kitchen knives that Nezumi had placed close at hand.

 

‘Those Turks are scarily similar to the Security Bureau guys,’ he muttered, knowing that the knives were in case of trouble. He knew that Nezumi tested them all for balance to be able to throw them with ease, should it be needed. He wondered what Tifa thought about it or if she even knew.

 

‘This world is scarily similar to ours,’ Nezumi muttered back, drying a wine glass. Few people drank wine in this place. Most opted for simpler drinks, very much like the people in West Block. ‘Except those people here didn’t bother to hide that they had an army,’ he added.

 

‘I feel bad for lying to them,’ Shion said after a moment of silence. Nezumi glared at him before turning back to another wine glass.

 

‘I have no intentions of giving them excuses to agree to the president’s request,’ Nezumi said in a cold tone and Shion didn’t need to ask what he meant. Every time the Turks of the president Shinra were mentioned, he felt a cold shudder run down his spine. He wondered if it showed and what Cloud and Tifa thought about it. Nezumi told him, when he asked, that if it showed then Cloud and Tifa doubtlessly misinterpreted it to be the fear after having been chased by the Turks.

 

He heard the door open behind him and saw Nezumi’s hand fly to one of the knives. Fighting to not panic, Shion turned around to see a man he didn’t know enter the bar.

 

‘Get behind me,’ he heard Nezumi say and complied, his eyes never leaving the red clad man, who seemed very surprised to see them there. The man’s eyes narrowed and his hands folded across his chest. Shion’s eyes widened as he noticed a golden glove on the man’s left hand.

 

‘Where is Tifa?’ the man asked in a deep voice, the words carrying the slightest hint of a threat. Shion wondered if it really was a glove or if the man had a mechanical arm.

 

‘She went shopping with the kids,’ Nezumi answered. ‘Who are you?’ he asked, his hand gripping the knife harder. The man raised an eyebrow and smirked.

 

‘Who are you?’ he asked back, taking a couple of steps closer to them. Shion saw a large gun hanging at his hip and he gulped. Why was this world full of dangerous people as well?

 

‘I’m helping her in the bar, in case you didn’t notice,’ Nezumi replied. ‘I can take a message for her, when she gets back,’ he added, failing to sound helpful. The man smirked again.

 

‘I think I’ll simply wait for her here,’ he replied and turned to sit in the corner of the room. ‘Please don’t let my presence disturb you,’ he added mockingly. Nezumi clenched his teeth and let go of the knife.

 

‘Stay here,’ he muttered to Shion as he took a glass and started drying it. The man said nothing more, seemingly busy staring at a spot in front of him. Nezumi worked, stealing glances at the man every couple of seconds, knives still close at hand. The silence was suffocating and finally Shion couldn’t stand it anymore.

 

‘Are you Tifa’s friend?’ he asked. Judging by the man’s twitch, he surprised him, so he smiled to apologise. ‘I mean to know that she works here,’ he explained when the red eyes focused on him unblinkingly. ‘And you don’t look like you’re with the Turks either,’ he added, getting nervous when the man didn’t answer.

 

‘Shion,’ Nezumi hissed under his breath. The red man smirked slightly again.

 

‘I am Tifa’s friend,’ he said finally. ‘And you?’ he asked and Shion felt that he blushed slightly. ‘I’m sure I never saw you before. I would have remembered your looks,’ he added. Shion looked away. Everybody always remembered his looks.

 

‘I’m, uh,’ he didn’t know what to say.

 

‘He’s with me and I work here,’ Nezumi said harshly, glaring at Shion for starting the conversation. Right on time, Tifa entered the bar with the two kids in tow and many bags in her hands. She smiled at them brightly, so Shion smiled back. Then she looked around and noticed the red man.

 

‘Vincent!’ she exclaimed. Mindful of Nezumi’s wish, Shion committed the name to memory. Vincent with red eyes and red cape, Vincent with a gold glove and a big gun, he memorised, and put a tag “friend” next to the name. ‘What brings you here?’ Tifa asked, snapping Shion back to reality.

 

‘I have worrying information,’ Vincent replied. ‘I tried to get a hold of Cloud but he didn’t answer his phone, as usual.’

 

‘You know Cloud,’ Tifa said, her voice getting a bit sadder. ‘Always afraid to get too close to people and lose them afterwards,’ she added. Shion was always amazed at how similar Cloud and Nezumi were. ‘You met Nezumi and Shion,’ Tifa continued, her tone back to cheerful as she turned to the two of them.

 

‘You could say that,’ Vincent replied mockingly. ‘It’s nice to meet you, Nezumi and Shion,’ he added in their direction.

 

‘It’s nice to meet you, Vincent,’ Shion replied earnestly, wondering why Vincent’s eyes widened a fraction. Next to him, Nezumi shook his head and went back to drying glasses.

 

‘Make yourself useful and help me,’ he said and, grinning at him, Shion took another towel and went about drying glasses. He could barely hear the conversation that Vincent and Tifa were having.

 

‘I just wanted to warn you,’ Vincent was saying. ‘There are those kids in the forest, well if you can call them kids. Three silver-heads plotting,’ he explained.

 

‘Silver-heads?’ Tifa asked. ‘The Turks said they might be dangerous,’ she added after a pause. Next to Shion, Nezumi was only pretending to dry the glasses.

 

‘I don’t know what business the Turks have with them, but I’m almost sure that they visited Shinra at least once,’ Vincent replied. ‘I couldn’t hear anything they say, but whatever they want, it is not good,’ he added. Shion dried another glass and put it away. Nezumi was gripping the edge of the counter so hard that his knuckles were turning white.

 

‘I will make sure to tell Cloud,’ Tifa assured Vincent. ‘Or maybe you can stay and tell him yourself? Cloud has taken to living here recently,’ she added. Shion could hear the happiness in her voice when she said that. ‘I’ll make you some lunch while I do it for the rest of us,’ she added in a slightly louder tone.

 

Nezumi snapped out of his thoughts and took a glass to dry it as though he hasn’t been listening to the conversation at all. He even said something random to Shion when Tifa was close enough to hear him. Knowing that he needed to react naturally, Shion replied with a smile but worry lodged itself firmly into his heart. Tifa smiled at them and even Shion could see that her smile was strained.

 

‘What would you like to eat, guys?’ she asked. Nezumi’s stew, Shion thought immediately but he wasn’t sure if he was allowed to say that out loud, so he just shrugged and let Tifa tell them that she would make something new. She had bought food along with new clothes and she was eager to experiment and, hopefully, it would turn out well.

 

Shion assured her that it would be good and asked if he could help her with anything. He heard Vincent comment on the knife collection on the bartender side of the counter. He didn’t hear what Nezumi replied, because Tifa asked him to throw the trash out.

 

‘Sure thing,’ he said. ‘I’ll be right back,’ he added for Nezumi’s benefit, grabbing the trash bag and going out through the back door.

 

Behind 7th Heaven was a small courtyard, where Cloud normally parked his bike. It could be accessed through the bar and by an alley, just wide enough for the bike to pass, that was on the left wall of the courtyard and by a wider road opposite to the bar. The trash bins were opposite to the bar as well, just next to the wide road that, as Shion knew, the trash truck took to get the bins empty.

 

He crossed the courtyard and threw the bag into the nearest bin. Only when that was done did he notice a blond woman that emerged from the small alley. She was between him and the bar and he hesitated for a moment. She was wearing a suit, he noticed, blood running cold.

 

In the same moment, somebody gripped him around the chest, trapping his arms. Before he had time to scream, a wet cloth was pressed against his mouth. He tried to struggle, but his hands felt heavy and his vision swam.

 

The woman came closer and he thought she smiled. She said something, but he couldn’t quite hear the words and then she fell to the ground.

 

The last thing Shion saw, before darkness enveloped his world, was Nezumi’s angry face.

 

})i({

 

Arriving after he delivered a package, Cloud parked his bike behind the bar and entered the building, surprised to hear the voices coming from the bar room. The sight that greeted his eyes when he went inside surprised him even more. Already Vincent’s presence in Edge was rare but Vincent putting stitches on Elena’s arm was a sight to remember.

 

The woman glared at him when he smirked at her. He ignored her and focused on Tifa’s angry and worried expression. She rushed to him as soon as she saw him and he hugged her instinctively.

 

‘Is everything alright?’ he asked, directing his question to Vincent, who was just done with Elena and looked at Tseng questioningly.

 

‘My cuts are not as deep,’ Tseng said and turned to Cloud. ‘You adopted quite a dangerous kid this time, Cloud,’ he said, standing up. ‘Although his aim with throwing knives is thankfully off,’ he added. ‘To which Elena owes her life.’

 

‘What?’ he asked, looking back at Vincent for explanation.

 

‘It seems like Tseng and Elena tried to force your white-haired friend to come with them and the other one didn’t take it too good,’ the red-clad man said calmly. ‘I’m afraid me and Tifa didn’t realise what happened until sometime later, when they didn’t come back to the bar,’ he added. ‘Consequently, I can only give you my suspicions, but Tseng can tell you the whole story.’

 

‘Talk to me,’ Cloud growled, untangling Tifa from himself, mindful to not let the cloth with which he covered his left arm move too much. ‘Where are the kids?’ he asked her, worried. She told him she sent them upstairs as soon as they realised that something was wrong.

 

‘You made it clear that you were not going to bring that boy for questioning,’ Tseng said. ‘Yet the circumstances changed and we needed to get him. For his own safety,’ he added.

 

‘For his own safety?’ Cloud repeated incredulously. ‘Start from the beginning.’

 

‘They tried to kidnap Shion,’ Tifa said simply. ‘I asked him to throw out the trash, so he went. I didn’t even notice that Nezumi went after him but when they didn’t come back I started to get worried, so I and Vincent went to check on them. We only saw Elena with one of the kitchen knives firmly lodged in her arm and Tseng with some cuts and bruises. There was a cloth drenched in sedative next to him, so you can imagine how they tried to take him,’ she finished with a glare at Tseng.

 

‘The other kid surprised us,’ Tseng admitted. Cloud could read the hidden message of that statement “but he’s no match, so next time we’ll not fail”. He gritted his teeth, looking at the Turk. ‘If you must know, Kadaj was asking about that kid and whatever Kadaj wants with him cannot be good, so we thought we can protect him,’ Tseng said calmly.

 

‘Kadaj?’ Cloud asked, ignoring the rest of the story for the moment.

 

‘A silver-head that has been causing trouble,’ Tseng replied in the same tone as before.

 

‘For all we know you are working together with those people,’ Tifa exclaimed. I leave for half a day and everything turns into a mess, Cloud thought. They decided that it was safe enough for him to go and continue a normal life. After all, money was needed, especially if Tifa insisted on keeping the two strays with them.

 

‘I saw them visiting you in Healing Lodge,’ Vincent explained at Cloud’s and Tseng’s surprised expressions. ‘You can hardly claim that you work to protect anybody from them in that case,’ he added darkly. Tseng looked away.

 

‘They attacked us,’ he said and looked back at Cloud. ‘Go and talk with the president if you want, I am not at liberty to tell you anything about this matter,’ he added. ‘But your friends are in danger, so you better find them before Kadaj does.’

 

‘What does he want with them?’ Tifa asked, anger completely wiped out by worry. She turned to Cloud, not waiting for Tseng’s answer. ‘What are we gonna do, Cloud? With everything that happened they might already be gone out of Edge!’

 

‘I doubt it,’ Elena cut in. Cloud glared at her pale face. ‘The white-haired boy, Shion, was it? Well he was all but sedated by the time the other one attacked. It’ll take a couple of hours for the effects of the sedative to wear off so they will probably just hole up somewhere close to here.’

 

‘They trust you,’ Tseng added. ‘Get them here and we’ll take over,’ he added. Cloud didn’t want to voice his thoughts on the state of Nezumi’s trust.

 

‘You must be out of your mind,’ he stated coldly. ‘Do you really think we are going to comply without knowing what is going on?’ he asked. Tseng repeated that he should talk with Rufus in that case and Cloud decided that it was exactly what he was going to do.

 

‘What about Shion and Nezumi?’ Tifa asked when he turned to leave the bar again. And to think that he thought they would have a peaceful afternoon. He didn’t want to admit it but he became fond of Shion, who always had something nice to say to everybody. The world needed people like that as much as it needed people like Nezumi and Cloud to protect the optimists. He knew that Nezumi will not trust them anymore. He will not risk revealing his position in case the Turks would be on Cloud’s heels and Cloud could hardly blame him for that. The things the two of them had gone through were enough to make them wish to avoid Shinra till the end of their lives. Hell, even Cloud wished that he could do the same but the Turks were like a bad smell, they stuck around.

 

However, he was hardly going to tell that to the Turks, was he? Wincing at the sting of pain in his arm, he looked at Tifa.

 

‘I’ll talk with Shinra and see what he has as an excuse. You call Barret to look after the kids and go to find Nezumi and Shion. Take Vincent with you and maybe Cid as well, because Nezumi knows them,’ he added and turned to Tseng. ‘And you go away. If they come here and see you they will run and nothing will stop them anymore. If Shinra will convince me, we’ll be back with the kids. If he doesn’t then you have to go through us to get them.’

 

‘We need to unite in the face of common threat,’ Elena argued.

 

‘Right now you seem more like a threat than anything else,’ Cloud growled and left the bar. He knew that the Turks would go to look for Nezumi and Shion as well. He could only hope that their wounds would slow them down enough for the other two to escape. He fully expected that Rude and Reno will stay with the president, so it shouldn’t be too difficult to evade the Turks. Right?

 

Except Nezumi didn’t know Edge as well as they did and, according to Tseng, was not strong though to take them on. Not that Cloud expected him to be, he was already surprised that Nezumi managed to get away this time.

 

‘Be careful, Cloud,’ Tifa whispered. He nodded at her and at Vincent and left. There was no time to lose and he was very curious of the excuses Shinra would make.

 

The messed up situation was the only thing he could think of the whole way to the Healing Lodge and, even as he stopped his bike and took out a sword, he was no closer to figuring out his feelings on the matter. Since Shinra Company fell the Turks that survived have been nothing but helpful, if rather tight-mouthed and unfriendly. Why were they the aggressors all of the sudden? Could it have been that Shion and Nezumi were more precious to the company than they realised? Could Rufus have lied about the parasitic wasps? The very thought sent a cold shiver down Cloud’s spine.

 

Neither Reno nor Rude tried to stop him this time and he entered the room where he met Rufus last time without meeting anybody. The two Turks and the president were there, looking at him wearily but obviously informed about his arrival.

 

‘Explain yourself,’ he demanded, deciding to skip greetings and pleasantries. If Tseng or Elena called ahead then Rufus knew exactly what he wanted.

 

‘Cloud, where is this anger-’

 

‘I’m not in mood for your games, Shinra,’ Cloud growled. ‘I thought you wanted to prove that your ways have changed and then you go trying to kidnap innocent kids?’ he asked. Rufus Shinra sighed and looked away.

 

‘I don’t know what story Nezumi fed you,’ he said calmly. ‘I was very curious about your parasite wasps though and it didn’t take much to discover the reasons for your enquiry. Originally I simply wanted to ask Shion a couple of questions about his adventures. If there really are parasitic wasps out there don’t you think that it would be prudent to take a sample of his blood and figure out an antidote?’ he asked. Nezumi’s words on the matter echoed in Cloud’s head.

 

‘If the planet-’ he started but Rufus didn’t let him finish for once.

 

‘Don’t give me that crap about justice,’ he said harshly. ‘You might think that I deserve geostigma but what have you done to deserve the planet’s anger?’ he asked. The words were like a punch to the stomach, but he did his best to not show it. It was a question he asked himself a couple of times. ‘Do you want to know what the cause of geostigma is, Cloud?’

 

‘Do you know that?’ he asked against his will.

 

‘Jenova cells,’ Rufus said simply. ‘The planet doesn’t care if you took them willingly or if they were forced on to you either,’ he added. Another punch to Cloud’s stomach: the planet hated him for having been experimented on. ‘So you see I can easily imagine that the threat of parasitic wasps is a real one,’ Rufus added and, even though he didn’t like it, Cloud had to agree. Still, it did not excuse the methods Rufus Shinra chose to carry out his actions.

 

‘You said “originally” you wanted to ask questions,’ he said, returning to the reason for his visit. Again, Rufus looked away for a moment.

 

‘Things changed when Kadaj expressed his interest in your white-haired friend,’ he said. ‘Do you know who he is?’ he asked. Cloud shrugged. ‘We are not sure, but we think that he is a Sephiroth to be. He just misses the Jenova cells.’

 

‘Sephiroth to be?’ Cloud exclaimed, getting a nod as an answer. ‘And you didn’t think that relevant before? Since when do you know?’ he asked, getting angrier with each word. Rufus ignored his questions.

 

‘He came here a couple of times, asking for Jenova’s head,’ he said instead. ‘Last time, however, the theme of his questions changed. He noticed Shion in Edge and he was asking if I know anything about the boy. I don’t know what he finds interesting. He is drawn to Jenova’s cells and I suppose he found Shion while looking for you. He knows all about you, which is worrying.’

 

‘Why didn’t you say anything before?’ Cloud asked.

 

‘I know that you can take Kadaj on any day,’ Rufus replied in the same, calm voice. ‘Shion, however, is a different matter and I thought that he might be safer here,’ he added. Plus, like that you could do whatever you wanted about the parasitic wasps, Cloud added in his head. Something told him that the wasps will not become a problem but he decided to not voice those thoughts out loud.

 

‘If he talked to you it means that he defeated your Turks,’ Cloud pointed out, realising the obvious. ‘If that is the case then how did you hope to protect Shion?’ he asked. Again, Rufus ignored his questions in favour of continuing the story.

 

‘Kadaj thinks that becoming Sephiroth will be his death,’ he said. ‘He accepts Jenova’s will without question, but he got the idea to try and sacrifice another first. We figured as much after his visit. He will try to force feed Shion Jenova cells, when he finds them.’

 

‘Why Shion?’

 

‘I do not know. It’s another thing I wanted to ask your friend, because there seems to be more to him than meets the eye,’ Rufus replied. ‘I suggest you find him before Kadaj does.’

 

‘You told me there are no Jenova cells left,’ Cloud pointed out. ‘Whatever Kadaj hopes to achieve will not work without them,’ he added. Rufus only looked away. That bastard lied again, Cloud thought, gritting his teeth in helpless fury.

 

‘Next time I see your Turks I will not spare my breath talking to them,’ he threatened and, turning on his heel, left the room.


	7. Chapter 7

Nezumi wasn’t going to analyse his feelings. He did his best to forget the fright of seeing the Turks nearly managing to kidnap Shion. He had pushed that fear aside and acted, eliminating the risk and carrying the unconscious Shion away from the danger. He found a deserted alley with heaps of rubble and some boxes. Rubble would hide them from view and boxes could hide them even if somebody went looking into the alley.

 

The thought to stay in 7th Heaven didn’t even enter his mind until they were tucked safely away, far from the bar and out of view. According to Cloud there were four Turks near Edge. Two were bleeding out slowly or maybe tended to by now, but where the other two were he didn’t know. He overheard Cloud one time tell Tifa something about “president Shinra” so maybe the other two were on protection detail?

 

Why Cloud had anything to do with such a monster, Nezumi couldn’t understand. It was not his business anymore. Nothing concerning Cloud was his business anymore. His only business was to get out of that hell and drag Shion with him.

 

Outside their provisory hiding place, life continued. People walked the streets talking, living their lives, oblivious to the drama that unfolded just next to them. Were those people as heartless as the ones in the West Block? Nezumi had no reasons to believe that they wouldn’t be. The little he saw of this world told him that survival wasn’t easy.

 

Could they hope to find help?

 

He scowled at himself for even thinking the question. How could they ever hope for any sort of help? Hoping for help was halfway through to giving up, he knew that. He had learned it the hard way many years ago.

 

‘Nezumi,’ he heard a voice calling. He shrank back even further. ‘Nezumi! Shion,’ the voice was getting closer. It was Tifa, he knew, but he would not let her find them. He would not let anybody find them. Not now, not later, he was not going back to 7th Heaven where the Turks were welcomed.

 

‘Tseng, really, you think I don’t see you?’ Tifa’s voice asked. She was so close that Nezumi held his breath. As on cue, Shion groaned in his arms. Swiftly, he put a hand over Shion’s mouth, registering the sudden fright in his friend. ‘Why are you following me?’

 

‘It’s just me,’ he whispered in the quietest of whispers. He knew that Shion heard him because the body in his arms relaxed, so he let his hand fall away from his friend’s mouth. Close to them a voice he didn’t know replied to Tifa’s question.

 

‘We need to find them and get them before Kadaj gets his hands on that white-haired kid,’ the voice said. Nezumi committed both the words and the voice to his memory. He tagged it as Tseng the Turk and pursed his lips into a thin line. Why people couldn’t leave them be? What did they want with Shion?

 

‘It’s your fault they ran in the first place,’ Tifa accused the man.

 

‘This is irrelevant know because they are in danger,’ the man replied. ‘Now go on looking for them and let me help you protect them,’ he added. Protect them, Nezumi thought, yeah right. It’s some protection to attack and sedate a person.

 

‘Nezumi! Shion!’ Tifa called out. She kept repeating their names and her voice went away.

 

‘Are you alright?’ Nezumi whispered to Shion. He didn’t feel ready to leave their hiding place quite yet, but he needed to know.

 

‘A bit confused,’ Shion admitted. ‘But I guess that this man just now was the one who held me and,’ he trailed off. Nezumi gave his shoulders a squeeze. ‘What are we gonna do now?’

 

‘We run. What else?’ Nezumi asked back, still keeping his voice low. He didn’t put it past Tseng the Turk to hang behind Tifa to see if he can get them when they think they are safe and they leave. ‘I vote that we wait here till nightfall and then we make a run for it.’

 

‘Where do we run? We still don’t know much about this world,’ Shion pointed out, shifting slightly in Nezumi’s arms. The space they had was pretty cramped, but he somehow managed to twist around and his eyes shone at Nezumi in the darkness. Ah, those amazing eyes, Nezumi thought.

 

‘We took down the Correctional Facility,’ he reminded Shion. ‘What is here that can stop us?’ he asked with the tiniest of smiles playing across his lips. Shion smiled briefly, but then turned serious very fast.

 

‘We had help there,’ he whispered. Nezumi could hear the regret in his voice. Was he still beating himself up for not being able to save that girl? ‘We cannot hope for such help here,’ Shion added, his voice snapping Nezumi out of his thoughts.

 

‘But it’s not as difficult as the Correctional Facility either,’ he pointed out with a small smile. ‘Let’s do it differently then, let’s wait till nightfall and then sneak in to 7th Heaven to look at the maps they have there. I’ve seen that Cloud has some in his office,’ he suggested. Sneaking in to a house unnoticed would be a piece of cake compared to what they’ve done in the past. ‘You remember the layout of the house?’

 

‘Of course,’ Shion assured him. ‘I memorised it. The office is on the first floor and the only alarm we have to disable is the one on the door. There are no motion sensors inside, that I could see, but the door to the office is creaking and I think Cloud might have a better hearing than he lets on,’ he added. Nezumi nodded. He noticed that too and it was a problem but it was nothing next to laser tags, security cameras and execution chambers.

 

‘Good, this is what we will do then. And now rest,’ he said. Wordlessly, Shion settled back against his chest and Nezumi relaxed a bit.

 

He found himself drifting in and out of sleep, waiting for the day to pass. People walked past, never once stopping. Tifa came by again, shouting their names with more desperation than before. Her voice was begging them to come out, but Nezumi was immune to such things, at least when they didn’t come from Shion, his ultimate weakness.

 

The white-haired boy was snuggled against him and Nezumi found himself wishing they could stay like that forever: just the two of them in the darkness, away from trouble and worries. He remembered the days they spent in his room, the calm ones when they would sit and read, sometimes exchanging a couple of words. If he was given a wish, he would like to find a place where they could be like that forever: Shion, Nezumi, the mice and the books.

 

‘Is that truly your wish?’ asked a voice on the wind and Nezumi snapped his eyes wide open. What the hell was that just now? He knew the voice. He heard it when he was telling Cloud and Tifa the “real” story of him and Shion. Of course he didn’t tell them that he and Shion brought down a civilisation. There was no reason to let them know that they were a possible threat. However, that voice knew.

 

Yes, this is truly what I wish for, he thought, feeling stupid to reply to an illusion. The mice, he thought miserably, why didn’t the mice come with him? He vividly remembered the stab of pain in his heart when he woke up in that weird world and realised that he was alone. He pushed that pain away, focusing on survival, but it was never truly gone. Even when Shion made his dramatic reappearance in Nezumi’s life, the thought of having lost the mice brought a stab of pain. The mice could have helped. They could have spied on Tifa or the Turks, they would bring information and help. They would bring company.

 

As thought in answer to Nezumi’s thoughts, Shion twitched in his sleep. Ah yes, Nezumi thought, I have him with me. He closed his eyes again and let himself drift off for a moment or two. Soon time would come to move and that peaceful moment would be forever gone. He wanted to enjoy it a bit before.

 

When Nezumi opened his eyes again it was even darker than before and the sounds of city life were nearly gone. He blinked his vision into focus, noticing that Shion was already awake and looking at him.

 

‘What?’ he snapped at the other boy, but Shion only smiled slightly. He had learned too well to see through me, Nezumi thought, nearly growling in annoyance.

 

‘I wasn’t sure if I should wake you up,’ Shion replied in a calm tone. ‘But I think the bar is closed by now and we should make a move before it’s too late,’ he added. Immediately, Nezumi was wide awake and alert. How could he have let himself sleep that long?

 

‘Let’s move it, but be careful,’ he said in a whisper and pulled the hood of Shion’s coat over the boy’s head. ‘Let’s try to be less obvious, huh?’ he asked. The shiny, snow-white hair of Shion stood out everywhere and even in the darkest of nights it would be like a beacon, calling for attention. Nezumi thought it was beautiful and hated to hide it, but sometimes they had no choice.

 

‘Aren’t I always careful?’ Shion asked, his tone and wicked grin telling Nezumi that it was a purely rhetorical question and he should not waste his breath for an answer. Shaking his head, he moved the box under which they were sitting.

 

There was nobody in the alley, which was a good thing. Darkness enveloped the world, but Nezumi could see just fine. He knew also that Shion could see well enough in the dark as well, so he wasn’t worried by the sparse street lights. On the contrary, he was grateful for them, because they meant that they would sneak through the city in the cover of the shadows.

 

Carefully, he walked towards the bigger street, where the traffic has all but disappeared. It seemed that most people in the Edge kept to themselves after nightfall, which was surprising, considering the number of customers that Tifa had every night. Then again, at this time all those customers were already back home.

 

‘Stay close,’ Nezumi ordered in a whisper, the words echoing back at him from the memories of countless occasions when he uttered them to the ignorant white-haired kid that tagged along with him in the West Block. Shion flashed him a smile and Nezumi shook his head. That annoying-

 

‘Well, well, well,’ said a clear, cold voice somewhere behind him. In a split of a second, Nezumi turned to face the danger and placed himself in front of Shion. Three figures were coming up their way. The one in the middle had a shoulder-long, silvery hair and a nasty smile twisting his lips. The other two had the same kind of hair, one short, one long. Instinctively, Nezumi knew that they were exactly the people he didn’t want to meet.

 

‘Is it them?’ the short-haired man asked in a deeper voice. If I only had my mice, they would have warned us, Nezumi thought, looking around for escape paths.

 

‘It is them,’ the man in the middle replied and drew a sword. I stand no chance against a sword like that, Nezumi thought. ‘Give up your friend and we’ll let you go safe,’ the man said. Nezumi didn’t think that it was even worth a reply.

 

‘Nezumi,’ Shion started quietly, but Nezumi silenced him with a low growl. Don’t you even think like that Shion, he thought, there is no way in hell I am giving you up.

 

‘You will not last,’ the long-haired man said in a smooth and silky tone. ‘We will kill you and take your friend if that is what you prefer,’ he added. I will not die, Nezumi thought. He gritted his teeth. The man pulled out a gun and aimed.

 

Things happened almost too fast for him to remember. He was pushed down by Shion as the shot sounded and the man in the middle lurched forward. Somehow, Nezumi managed to duck the sword and slash the man’s wrist with his knife. In the same motion, he kicked the gun of the other guy and sent it flying.

 

Unfortunately, that motion put him away from Shion. He barely had time to turn back when an electric shock cursed through his body, making him arch in pain and scream. Two of their attackers had their backs to him and he couldn’t see Shion anymore, but he knew where he was.

 

Desperate, he flung his knife at the one who seemed to be their leader, effectively getting his attention.

 

Well shit, he thought, now I have nothing to defend myself with. The man smirked at him coldly, turning back and making his way towards him, sword at the ready. He pulled the knife out from his arm on the way and discarded it.

 

Further away, Nezumi saw Shion pick up the gun and fire without hesitation. Red exploded through the abdomen of the long-haired attacker.

 

Oh no, Shion, Nezumi thought, preparing himself to pounce on the man coming up to him. Shion was aiming at him as well, but things happened too fast. Another electric shock ran through Nezumi, numbing him to everything but the pain cursing through his body.

 

The shock finished, but Nezumi didn’t have time to gather himself and jump in attack or even duck the blow that was coming.

 

A blade flashed in the lamp light and new pain erupted in his chest and abdomen.

 

‘Nezumi!’ Shion was screaming somewhere far away. The man in front of him smirked and turned back to Shion. With some eerie clarity, Nezumi could see the tears welling in Shion’s eyes and trailing down his cheeks. The boy took aim and fired again and again, screaming his heart out.

 

As his knees buckled under him, Nezumi realised that the man dodged all the bullets. How could he-

 

‘Shion,’ he whispered as a gun was twisted out of Shion’s hand viciously.

 

Everything went black.


	8. Chapter 8

Vincent watched Cloud and Tifa share a dejected look. Night has fallen over Edge and there was no sign of Nezumi and Shion. The evening unfolded with no events and no signs of the two coming back to the bar. Finally, the bar closed and only the five of them were sitting in the large room. “Still no sign of Nezumi and Shion,” Vincent could see that thought written across Tifa’s face.

 

Not that Vincent expected to find a sign. He wasn’t sure how Tifa could expect them to come back after what happened. When he arrived in 7th Heaven and saw the guarded greeting that he got from the two, he immediately thought to scared animals: animals that have been pursued and hunted for too long to relax in the presence of a stranger. An outright attack was bound to make them run. He only hoped they could outrun everybody, not only their allies.

 

‘According to Rufus Shinra, we better find them before Kadaj does,’ Cloud spoke. Vincent wasn’t sure who he directed the words to, but he nodded nevertheless. Cid and Barret, who were also sitting in the room, demanded explanation of the situation and so Cloud told them everything. Most of it was old news to Vincent, but he still listened.

 

Silence fell when Cloud was done with the story and Vincent looked at everybody in turn. Resignation hung in the air, but he was far from thinking that they should give up.

 

‘They will move at night,’ he spoke finally, getting everybody’s attention focused on him. ‘They are afraid and wary. They waited for nightfall to move under the cover of the darkness. It is now that we must search for them,’ he added. Cloud and Tifa exchanged looks.

 

‘That makes sense,’ Cid commented, getting up. ‘Well then shall we take another stroll, yelling our souls out?’ he asked.

 

‘Don’t yell,’ Vincent advised. Sometimes he wondered if his friends never understood anything about other people. Hadn’t it been obvious that Nezumi was only waiting for an excuse to run? ‘Go quietly and look around carefully. If you yell they will hear you long before you can see them and they will hide again.’

 

‘Why would they hide from us?’ Barret asked.

 

‘I suppose they don’t exactly trust us after the fiasco with the Turks,’ Cloud noted bitterly. ‘I still can’t believe that Rufus would so something like that.’

 

‘What has been done cannot be changed,’ Vincent pointed out. ‘Let’s try and make sure that no harm can come to them,’ he added. There was something about those two that woke protective instincts in him. Having suffered at the hands of Hojo, Vincent learned to see suffering in others, even when they tried to hide it. He supposed that Cloud was the same and that it was the reason why he let Nezumi and his friend stay in 7th Heaven. He got up and left without another word. There wasn’t time to lose if it wasn’t too late already. He didn’t know much about Kadaj, but he didn’t think the silver-haired demon spawn would lose time.

 

Tifa and Cloud followed him and so did Cid. Wordlessly, they spread around, each taking a different street leading away from the bar’s backyard.

 

He moved silently, keeping himself to the shadows to minimise the chances of being seen. The streets were all but deserted, which suited him perfectly fine: fewer distractions from the task. He knew very well that the only person in Edge that could challenge him was Cloud so he was not afraid of traps or attackers. However, he was sure that Nezumi and Shion would choose places that were abandoned. If he was in such places, chance that he found them was higher than if he took one of the main streets that were always alive with noise and lights.

 

In the sparse light, he moved like a shadow, checking all the small alleys as he passed. This part of Edge was where the city merged slowly into Midgar’s ruins. Destroyed buildings loomed in the darkness, habitable only in parts and thus used as such. Tifa was checking those parts during the day, he thought absentmindedly, squinting at a weird shadow in the middle of the street.

 

The unmistakeable smell of blood reached his nostrils and he knew that he was too late. Ignoring stealth for the moment, he ran up to the shadow, unsurprised to find that it was a man, curled up in a pool of blood. There was another pool of blood nearby and Vincent hated to wonder who left it.

 

He kneeled next to the curled shape, recognising the black jacket and the dark, ashen hair. Nezumi, he thought with a sight. Putting two fingers against the neck, he fully expected to meet cold flesh, but no! The kid wasn’t dead yet!

 

Delicately, he moved him to lie on the back and winced at the large double gash. Kadaj or one of them must have sliced the kid with a sword. A pained gasp escaped the pale lips.

 

‘Hold on kid,’ Vincent muttered, glad that he thought to take his healing material on this trip. It wasn’t a strong one, since he usually didn’t bother with healing, but it would support the fragile life until he could get the kid to the bar.

 

Faintly glowing, green fumes surrounded his right hand and he hung it above the gash. Stop the bleeding, strengthen the body, he thought to himself. There wasn’t much more he could do, but, impossibly enough, Nezumi’s eyes opened a crack.

 

‘Why, welcome back,’ he muttered in what he hoped was a soothing voice. He was never good with those kinds of situations. ‘Do you remember what happened?’ he asked. Confusion clouded the grey eyes for a moment, before panic flashed in them. Shocking Vincent, Nezumi jumped to his feet, looking wildly around.

 

It lasted maybe two seconds before his knees buckled under him. Vincent caught him before he could fall completely and laid him on the ground gently.

 

‘It’s too late, I’m sorry,’ he muttered. ‘Your friend is gone, but we will find him. You, however, need to take it easy. You will not help Shion the slightest if you die,’ he added. Nezumi’s grey eyes focused on him slowly and the kid nodded.

 

‘Where-’ he started but a violent cough swallowed the rest of his question. A tiny trickle of blood escaped the corner of his lips and Vincent cursed, gathering the kid in his arms.

 

‘Do you have internal damage?’ he asked as he walked back to the bar, wondering if the kid would even know. He stopped to pick up a knife, guessing that it was Nezumi’s. Going with only that against a sword, the kid had some guts, he thought.

 

‘Possibly,’ Nezumi gasped, his eyes fluttering shut. He forced them open with visible effort. This kid is really strong, Vincent thought. ‘Electric shocks,’ he added. The words came in gasps. Vincent cursed again, speeding up.

 

‘Cloud has a powerful heal with him,’ he said, wondering whom he was trying to comfort.

 

‘Heal,’ Nezumi repeated and Vincent thought there was a questioning tone to his voice. To keep the kid conscious, he answered, hoping that Nezumi would focus on his voice.

 

‘Yeah, mine is quite crappy,’ he said. ‘It stopped the bleeding and hopefully numbed the pain a bit, but that’s about everything it can do.’

 

‘Pain,’ Nezumi gasped. ‘Is good.’

 

Pain keeps you conscious, Vincent thought, knowing that it was what Nezumi meant. Damn you Kadaj if I let you kill an innocent kid, he thought, speeding up a bit. If only he had a damned cell phone, he could have called Cloud and meet the man in the bar.

 

There was no point looking for Shion, he knew that. If the two weren’t together and Nezumi was in this state then Kadaj, or somebody who meant to hurt them, caught up with them already. They needed to focus and figure out where the other kid could be before it was too late.

 

})i({

 

His eyes opened slowly and blinked the unfamiliar ceiling into focus. Where was he? It was dark. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath trying to remember what happened. Beneath him was something flat and cold. So cold, in fact, that he could feel the chill seeping into him even through his clothes. Where was that-

 

He tried to move, but he couldn’t. He felt restraints around his wrists. Alarm bells rang loud in his head and his eyes snapped open. He turned to look at his hands. They were both bound to corners of what looked like a steel table. A surgical table, he thought and a chill ran down his spine. His legs wouldn’t move either and he could lift his head just enough to see that they were also bound to the corners of the table.

 

A cold shiver of panic ran down his spine and settled firmly in the pit of his stomach. His breath hitched but before his mind could freeze completely, memories came crashing in.

 

‘Nezumi,’ he breathed, remembering the screams that tore the night air. Nezumi was hurt, he thought, closing his eyes tightly against the terrifying truth. Nezumi was very hurt, he thought, remembering the glint of metal and the splashing blood.

 

He struggled against the restraints, but the only thing that did was to hurt his wrists and ankles. He had to get out and help Nezumi!

 

‘Ah, you’re awake,’ a voice said and Shion froze. He was so worried that he didn’t even notice another presence in the room. He could imagine Nezumi’s disappointed expression. He could almost hear the condescending words that Nezumi would utter.

 

Nezumi needs help, he thought, and focused on the reality. A silver-haired man, one of the ones that attacked them the previous night, came up to him. Was it the previous night that they had been attacked? He strained to see a window but nothing presented itself in the lingering darkness. Was it this night then? Maybe there still was a chance to save Nezumi!

 

‘I trust you are comfortable,’ the voice spoke again, bringing Shion back to reality again. I cannot space out, he thought. The man had shoulder long hair and a weird kind of clothes, but the most unusual about him, Shion noticed barely stifling a gasp, were his eyes with slit pupils. Like cat’s eyes.

 

‘Who are you?’ he managed to ask. Was there any advantage he had over his captors? He tried to think frantically but he was tightly bound and immobilised and the man in front of him could dodge bullets. The fact filtered through his memories: that man dodged bullets. His head span.

 

‘My name is Kadaj,’ he said and Shion forced himself to focus yet again. He was such a hopeless case without Nezumi.

 

Nezumi needs help.

 

‘And those are my brothers,’ Kadaj added and two more figures came close to the table. Shion clearly remembered shooting the long-haired one square in the chest. There was no a sign of the wound on him. ‘Yazoo and Loz, although the former you probably remember from before.’

 

‘Is he the one?’ the short-haired one, the one that Shion assumed was called Loz, asked with certain impatience. ‘Can we use him?’

 

‘How am I supposed to know?’ Kadaj snapped back, turning to his brother. ‘We need Mother to tell us and until we have Mother we cannot do anything.’

 

‘Shinra is hiding her,’ Yazoo, the long-haired brother, said. ‘I know he is hiding her. ‘Should I bring him by force, Kadaj?’ he asked.

 

Nezumi needs help, Shion thought, I have no time for this. He tried to struggle again. Maybe I can get a hand free, he thought. The bounds were tight, but were they too tight to try and squeeze a hand out? He needed to find out as soon as he was left alone.

 

‘Don’t struggle, my pet,’ Kadaj said, cold fingers tracing the scar on his neck. His fingers were so cold that for a moment Shion thought that the other man couldn’t be alive. Another shiver ran down his spine at the thought of being surrounded by walking corpses, bullet-dodging walking corpses.

 

‘Don’t fret,’ Kadaj spoke, his cold fingers caressing Shion’s cheek. ‘Once we bring Mother to you, everything will change. I feel it in the tips of my fingers. There is something about you, something weird.’

 

Shion moved his head away from the touch, provoking mocking laughter from the three brothers and some unseemly comments that he’d rather forget. He had no intention of meeting that Mother or sticking around to see the change. He needed to get out. The bonds seemed to be made of rope, he realised. If only Hamlet was here, or Cravat or Tsukiyo, he thought miserably. He missed the little mice and, even though they never talked about it, he knew that Nezumi missed them even more.

 

Nezumi needs help. The thought hammered against his consciousness. The mice were not there, Shion could only count on himself.

 

‘Once we bring Mother to you, experiments begin,’ Kadaj said, making another chill run down Shion’s spine. “Experiments” sounded bad. More than bad, it sounded horrifying. The brainless bodies of the Correctional Facility flashed in front of his mind’s eye and he shivered involuntarily. ‘Does that thought scare you, pet?’ Kadaj asked, petting Shion’s cheek lightly. Shion moved his head away again, wishing that his captors would just leave.

 

If they go I can work on getting free, he thought. Until he was surrendered, there was little he could do, even if he managed to get his hands free. He forced himself to calm down and glare coldly at Kadaj’s laughing face.

 

‘Don’t try anything funny while we’re gone, pet,’ Kadaj said and turned away. ‘Yazoo, Loz,’ he called his brothers. ‘It’s time we pay a serious visit to president Shinra.’

 

The other two smirked at Shion and went to follow their leader. Kadaj turned to Shion and promised to be back soon with Mother. Shion only answered with a glare, hoping that he wasn’t going to be around for the family reunion. Something deep inside him said that it would be his death.

 

The creepy brothers left the room. Their footsteps echoed for a while but when they faded away complete silence flooded the room. Now, I better get going, Shion thought and focused on getting his right hand out of the bounds.


	9. Chapter 9

He was floating in a world of pain. Everything was black and everything was hurting there, but he tried to swim anyway. Swim out of that place. Sometimes, the blackness cleared a bit and he was aware of his surroundings. He saw the streetlights when the red-clad man found him.

 

Shion was the only thought on his mind. We should have never separated, not even for those couple of steps.

 

He was somewhat aware of jumping to his feet before blackness veiled everything for a moment. Arms caught him and lowered him back on the ground. It took more energy than it should to talk with the red-clad man and blackness closed up on him eventually.

 

He became aware of something solid behind his back and warmth that could only mean that he was indoors. Voice floated around him, but he couldn’t catch a single word that was said. He didn’t even know who the second voice was.

 

Shion needed his help, he thought, clinging to that though. He was going to crawl out of this black confusion and he was going to vanquish the pain. Mere electric shock would not bring Nezumi down.

 

Wait, there was also that sword, he thought. Metal flashed in front of his eyes again.

 

More voices invaded his world of pain.

 

‘Can you hear me?’ he heard, for the first time catching the actual words. He tried to answer: I can hear you just well. ‘Nezumi, can you hear me?’ the voice repeated. Nezumi wanted to bat it away, it was grating on his nerves.

 

‘I think he’s out,’ another voice said. ‘Although I thought that his eyes would open just now.’

 

‘Nezumi, I will heal you now,’ the voice said. Heal me?

 

His confused thoughts stopped when a tingling feeling overcame him. It was chasing away the pain, he realised. The pain was ebbing away but not because Nezumi was losing consciousness!

 

I am being filled with light, he thought. A gasp escaped his lips. How silly a thought, a human being cannot be filled with light, answered a voice that sounded like Shion. Shion needed help. A human being is filled with cells and-

 

He thought he could see something. Light? Am I dying? Is this it? He blinked and his vision focused finally. He was met with concerned expressions from Cloud and Vincent. Somewhere behind them, Nezumi realised, was another man, huge and black and threatening. He didn’t feel at all relieved to see that man, whoever he was.

 

‘It seems that the heal worked,’ Cloud said, looking paler than usual. Nezumi focused on him and was about to ask what he was talking about, before he remembered that he couldn’t. He was not going to let it slip now of all the times. He took a deep breath and cleared his throat.

 

‘Is this 7th Heaven?’ he asked. It seemed like the only option and when Tifa and Cid burst into the place, as he judged by the doors opening and their voices asking a million questions, Nezumi didn’t need Cloud to answer.

 

‘We thought you wouldn’t make it,’ Vincent informed him. Smiling coldly, Nezumi sat up, ignoring the protests of everybody. He was rather dizzy but he wasn’t going to admit that, was he? He didn’t survive through all those hardships of life by letting people know that he was hurt.

 

‘The heal might have fixed your body, but you still lost a lot of blood,’ Cloud said. That explains the dizziness, Nezumi thought lightly. ‘The only thing you should be doing now is resting,’ he added.

 

‘The only thing I should be doing is getting Shion out of trouble,’ he replied, glad that his voice was firm and steady. ‘I swear that kid is impossible. How he always manages to get in trouble is beyond me, but this time he really messed up big time,’ he added in a grumbling tone. He could see the others exchange worried glances.

 

‘Nezumi, do you remember what happened?’ Tifa asked carefully. Nezumi looked at her in surprise. The memory of Shion’s interrogation after he fainted brought a tiny smile to his face, but that didn’t seem to reassure Tifa.

 

‘Of course I remember what happened,’ he said in a snappy tone, his face losing all expression. ‘Your Turk friends tried to kidnap Shion and that kicked of a whole new mass of trouble,’ he added. ‘Now he’s kidnapped by some weirdoes who can dodge bullets and I don’t even know where to look for him,’ he told Tifa testily and ignored her flinch at his harsh words.

 

Reality sank in as he spoke those words. He was still weak, even if he didn’t want to admit it. Shion was kidnapped by some unnatural things and he didn’t even know where they have taken him. How in the world he was going to make this right?

 

He was spared worrying about that because the door to the bar opened again. Nezumi, like everybody else, looked in that direction. The Turks, he thought as the annoying red-hair entered the bar, his companion right behind him. Hate boiled in Nezumi and he sprang to his feet, unsure if he was going to throw himself at the newcomers or make a run for it.

 

His head span at the sudden movement and Vincent caught him before he could fall. Before he had time to push away, Cloud was pinning the red-hair to the wall while Cid restrained the other one with his long stick. That was certainly not a welcome Nezumi expected the two Turks to get.

 

‘Didn’t I tell Shinra that you are not to show your faces here?’ Cloud hissed furiously. Realising that everybody really was on his side, Nezumi relaxed minutely and allowed Vincent to help him sit down. ‘Or do you have a death wish, Reno?’ Cloud asked. Nezumi thought he saw the man gulp in fright, but then the Turk’s expression hardened.

 

‘Kadaj was first, wasn’t he?’ Reno asked instead of answering, glancing at Nezumi. ‘We have no time to lose. We came here to tell you where the Jenova cells are so that we can secure them before this gets even worse.’

 

‘How do you think it can get even worse?’ Nezumi asked, unable to keep his silence anymore. Shion was kidnapped. Who knew what was happening to him? Nezumi didn’t even want to start thinking about that. Reno looked at him again.

 

‘Simple, really,’ he said, his tone almost casual. ‘Kadaj wants your friend alive so that he can force him to swallow some Jenova cells and before a bad man. That is, if he doesn’t have a needle to inject them of course.’

 

Much to Nezumi’s shock, Cloud let Reno go and nodded at Cid to let the other one go too. He was ready to jump and run, but Vincent’s calming hand on his shoulder steadied him. He looked at the red-clad man.

 

‘Trust Cloud,’ Vincent muttered. Trusting anybody was not what Nezumi was inclined to do, especially not in those circumstances. Cloud’s voice stopped him from sharing that thought with Vincent.

 

‘Jenova cells are nasty,’ the blond said, turning to look at Nezumi. There was a glint in his eyes that Nezumi couldn’t quite decode. He realised, for the first time, that Cloud’s eyes were almost shining with their own light. ‘They change you, physically, and they are extremely dangerous. If they are administered in uncontrolled matter, they will most likely end killing the organism upon which they are forced,’ he added. His voice was cold and calm, but Nezumi could hear the hard edge in it. He couldn’t understand it, but he didn’t have time to think about it because what Cloud was telling him amounted to one thing: Shion was going to die.

 

‘We know where the cells are,’ the Turk said. ‘Let’s go,’ he added. Cloud nodded curtly.

 

‘Vincent, stay here with Nezumi,’ he asked. Vincent nodded as well and restrained Nezumi from jumping up in protest. ‘You need your rest,’ Cloud said, turning to Nezumi. ‘You will not help Shion if you die of exhaustion,’ he added and Nezumi looked away.

 

I’m not going to help Shion by sitting here either, he thought, but he didn’t protest anymore. Even when he was on top of his game, he was no match for Cloud, so there was no point to fight.

 

‘Let’s look at the old maps of Midgar,’ Vincent suggested as the others left the bar. ‘I have a feeling that this is where they keep your friend. If something should happen, they probably want it to happen in Midgar,’ he added. Nezumi didn’t have the strength to ask why.

 

})i({

 

Time trickled by and Shion was no closer to getting free than when he started trying. The bounds were too tight to get his hand free. They were also made with rope, so they adjusted themselves to his wrist, unlike metal cuffs. Nezumi claimed that metal cuffs are easier to get out of.

 

Nezumi might be dying now, Shion thought and fought against the bounds desperately. By now he surely had bruises all around both wrists.

 

A noise broke the silence of his dark prison and Shion froze. Were they already coming back? Was it the end of his life? He didn’t know where that thought came from, but he was sure that meeting the Mother, whoever she was, was going to be the last thing he does.

 

Heart beating frantically, he listened, but no footsteps floated his way. Was Kadaj toying with him? He wouldn’t put it past the man and, if everything went as he planned, he was probably not in a hurry to finish up.

 

He heard a little, screeching noise. A noise that a mouse would make, he thought with a faint smile as he remembered the little mice that helped him and Nezumi. He must be imagining the noise now, wishing that the little mice would help him get free. Why didn’t the mice come with Nezumi to this world? He wondered that often, but he never dared to ask, afraid to stir bad memories. Nezumi would protect his mice to the best of his abilities, but what if he failed in that?

 

Nezumi might be dying now, Shion thought. The thought focused him back on reality, right on time to hear the little, screeching noise again. He was sure he hadn’t imagined it!

 

‘Tsukiyo?’ he called out as loud as he dared. ‘Hamlet? Cravat?’ he tried, knowing that it was pointless but hoping nevertheless. Much to his shock, a small, black mouse hopped onto him and screeched, agitated, while perched on his chest. Shion couldn’t even identify all the emotions that flooded him as he realised that he felt the tiny thing and that it was warm.

 

Warm meant alive. Warm meant real.

 

‘Tsukiyo!’ he exclaimed, somehow sure that it was not just a random mouse that found him. ‘Quick! Help me to get out of here,’ he asked, hope bubbling in his chest. If he could get out, if he could find Nezumi- Maybe there still was time!

 

Not losing any more time, the mouse went about biting through the bond fastening his right hand to the table. He stayed as still as he could to make it easy for the mouse, but he was trembling with impatience and hope. It felt like eternity passed, but finally his right hand was free!

 

‘Thank you Tsukiyo,’ Shion whispered. ‘Now go to find Nezumi,’ he asked, gently caressing the mouse that hopped onto his chest. His hand was shaking badly and there was a painful ring of torn skin and stinging bruises around his wrist. The mouse protested and hopped to his left hand.

 

‘No, silly,’ Shion protested as well, even as he kept still to not hurt the mouse. Its whiskers were tickling as it bit through the rope. Funny that he hasn’t felt that on the other hand, he thought, but then his right hand felt numb. He tried to free it first and that wrist was hurting much more. ‘Tsukiyo, go to find Nezumi!’ he ordered, but the mouse ignored him. ‘He needs help more than me,’ he added even though he wasn’t sure if it was true.

 

After another eternity, his left hand was free as well and Shion sat up, gathering the mouse in his trembling hands. There was no time to lose and he could get himself free now.

 

‘Now really, go!’ he ordered, putting all his will into the words. Tsukiyo screeched happily and hopped off his hands. He watched it disappear in the darkness and, when it was gone, he immediately moved to undo the bonds around his ankles. It wasn’t easy, because his hands were shaking and his fingers where somewhat numb. As he fumbled around the knots keeping his right ankle fastened, he thought that he wouldn’t have been able to free his left hand.

 

Even the mice are smarter than me, he thought with a quiet chuckle, thankful that Tsukiyo didn’t fully listen to him. He hoped that the mouse would bring help to Nezumi. No, he didn’t doubt that it would. Maybe even it first helped Nezumi and then went to help him!

 

The trembling of his hands subsided a bit by the time he got to undo the knots around his left ankle and it went faster. He got off the table and saw that one of the ropes was very long. Memories of the caves under the Correctional Facility flashed in front of his eyes and he undid the rope from the table and coiled it around his arm.

 

His heart was beating frantically again and he wasn’t sure if it was from the current danger or from remembering how the super resistant thread felt in his hands when he was strangling Sasori. Could he pull it off this time?

 

He didn’t know, but there was no time to wonder. His legs only slightly unsteady, he made his way to the direction into which the three brothers disappeared before. Surely enough, door became visible and he felt the hope that he will be able to get out when he heard another noise.

 

Footsteps, he realised. Three sets of footsteps, echoing behind the door.

 

There is a staircase there, his mind supplied, judging from the sound of the steps and the echoes. He looked frantically around. There were not many hiding places and, as the footsteps grew louder, he jumped behind a pillar that was holding up the ceiling.

 

They should not see me from the doorway, he thought. They should not see the steel table either, or so he hoped. If they went inside the room he could maybe slip behind their backs and run out. Terrified, he forced his breathing and heartbeat to slow down. There is no place to panic, he reminded himself, there is no place for hesitation.

 

I need to be fast and soundless, he thought, pursing his lips into a thin line of determination as the door opened. He couldn’t see the people coming in, but he heard that they were three. Three brothers, most likely, and they were silent. Could they have failed in getting that Mother of theirs? Shion didn’t really have the desire or the time to ponder that question. He took a steadying breath and waited as the footsteps moved further inside the room. He knew he wouldn’t have much time.

 

‘What the-’ he heard. That was his cue! As fast and as silent as he could, he ran towards the door, finding it open much to his relief. He hadn’t considered the possibility that the door would close, or worse, be locked.

 

‘He’s escaping!’ he heard through the sound of blood rushing in his veins. They saw him! He nearly tripped over his own feet as that thought echoed in his head.

 

The stairs seemed to have no end and there were footsteps behind him. They were gaining on him, he thought with desperation, pushing himself to run faster. He burst out of the building finally and barely had the time to register that it was still night outside, when he noticed the man in front of him.

 

‘Impossible,’ he whispered, out of breath. Kadaj smiled at him. Impossible, his mind rebelled, desperation welling up inside him. He wasn’t going to be caught!

 

Pushing himself to his limits, he jumped to the side just as footsteps behind him emerged from the building as well. He jumped into the shadows and had just that second of confusion of his kidnappers to act. He hid behind something and calmed his breath and heart again.

 

‘How could you let him go,’ Kadaj hissed angrily. ‘Find him!’ he ordered.

 

You wish, Shion thought defiantly. I didn’t survive until now to be killed, he promised himself and peeked out. Kadaj was standing where he had been, looking around carefully. How well did they see in the dark? The other two were not visible from where he was. He didn’t like to not see his adversary.

 

Hiding again, Shion looked around himself. The only way he had was to go where Kadaj was, so he needed the man to move. Surprise, he thought, that is the only advantage I have. They are faster and stronger than me, he realised with certainty.

 

‘Come out my little friend,’ Kadaj’s voice rang uncomfortably close to Shion’s hiding place. ‘Mother is very impatient to meet you,’ he added. The moment he spoke the last word, he stepped into Shion’s vision and turned slowly, smiling. So he knew where I was all that time, Shion thought even as he pushed Kadaj away.

 

Surprised, the man stumbled and Shion took that opportunity to jump away and make a run for it. Laughter filled the night and, as he ran, he understood that it was pointless. The short-haired man appeared right in front of him and extended a hand towards Shion. Before he fully understood what was happening, the hand made contact and an electric shock ran through his body.

 

A scream, his scream, tore the air and Shion was thrown back by the sheer force of contact. He landed on his back, right in front of Kadaj.

 

‘You did not think to leave early, did you?’ Kadaj asked, reaching out for him. He wanted to move away but pain erupted in his body at the movement. He felt Kadaj’s hand gripping his shirt just as blackness enveloped him.


	10. Chapter 10

He was kind of listening to what Vincent was saying about Midgar, half wondering if the man could see through his lies and realise that Nezumi didn’t know a thing about Shinra’s history. Not like that mattered when Shion could be dying right at that moment, he thought angrily.

 

‘Once they come with the cells, we’ll free your friend,’ Vincent said calmingly. Nezumi glared at him and was about to snap that the man shouldn’t promise things he couldn’t fulfil with hundred per cent certainty. However, he was cut short by a sound that he knew all too well.

 

Blood leaving his face and dizziness threatening to overwhelm him, he looked around the room, searching for mice. He vaguely heard Vincent’s concerned questions. “Is that truly your wish?” The question he imagined earlier floated through his memory. That voice! He realised now who it reminded him of – Elyurias. Only this voice was warmer and softer, it was more human.

 

Something black and small hopped onto the table on which Vincent had spread the maps of Midgar. Nezumi’s head span for a moment as he took in the mouse, relief and happiness flooding him and threatening to overwhelm him.

 

‘What the hell?’ Vincent asked, but Nezumi couldn’t care less. World could fall apart and he wouldn’t notice.

 

‘Tsukiyo,’ he whispered and extended his hand. There was not a single doubt in his heart, not even the shadow of a thought that it wasn’t Tsukiyo. The black mouse hopped onto his hand and he brought it closer as it screeched excitedly.

 

It took him a moment to gather his thoughts enough to listen. He was so overcome with happiness that he missed the first few words that the mouse said, but as soon as he realised the importance of that message, all his senses snapped to full attention. Vincent watched him with surprise and concern mixing on his face.

 

‘Thank you, Tsukiyo,’ he whispered and turned to Vincent. The mouse jumped onto his shoulder and hid in the folds of the superfiber cloth that was wrapped around his neck. ‘I know where Shion is,’ he spoke calmly. ‘Tsukiyo can lead us there,’ he added.

 

‘You can talk with a mouse,’ Vincent stated rather than asked although Nezumi could see surprise clearing from his face and hardening into resolve. ‘What are we waiting for?’ he asked. ‘If we can free your friend before Kadaj is back then it will be easy,’ he added.

 

No sooner than he spoke those words, the door to the bar opened and admitted Cloud, Tifa, Cid, the huge man that according to Vincent was called Barret and the two Turks. They didn’t look happy and Nezumi’s heart skipped a beat. He knew what it meant even before Cloud looked up at him and Vincent and spoke.

 

‘The cells were not there anymore,’ he said. ‘Kadaj must have been there before us, although how he knew where to look is beyond me,’ he added.

 

‘Well then what are we waiting for?’ Nezumi asked, getting up. Cloud’s words barely sank in properly, but he wasn’t going to waste his time on mulling over them. Just as Cloud was asking him about what he wanted to do, Reno’s cell phone rang. Naturally suspicious of all high tech devices, Nezumi winced at the sound.

 

‘Nezumi thinks that he knows where Shion is,’ Vincent answered Cloud’s question. The blond glanced at his friend before turning back to Nezumi.

 

‘I don’t think I know,’ Nezumi corrected. ‘I know.’

 

‘Where?’ Cloud asked without hesitation. ‘There is no time to lose,’ he added. Nezumi wondered briefly if he was so worried for Shion or if there was more to the story.

 

‘I can lead you there,’ he replied. ‘Well, Tsukiyo can lead us in any case,’ he added. The mouse peeked out from between the folds of the superfiber.

 

‘Tsukiyo?’ Cloud repeated, his eyes widening a fraction, probably when he noticed the mouse. Reno snapped his cell phone shut and spoke up.

 

‘Tseng just called me,’ he said, getting their attention. ‘Kadaj and his band attacked them and threatened to kill the president if they didn’t disclose the position of the cells. Tseng said they stalled them as long as they dared but somehow Kadaj figured it out on his own. Needless to say, the president is not happy with the situation, especially since I told them now that Kadaj was first.’

 

‘You are kind of pointless, aren’t you?’ Nezumi asked, looking at Reno. ‘What kind of bodyguards are you if you cannot protect your president?’

 

‘So they have the cells,’ Cloud muttered. ‘Even if they didn’t have Shion, this is not good, but,’ he trailed off and looked at Nezumi. ‘You said you can lead us there,’ he stated. Nezumi nodded and extended the hand to his mouse. Tsukiyo jumped onto the palm of his hand.

 

‘Can we just charge there unprepared?’ Barret asked. ‘What if they’ll have Sephiroth by then?’ he added. Briefly surprised at the appearance of old superstitions from another world in the conversation, Nezumi scowled at him.

 

‘Prepare all you want,’ he said. ‘I am going,’ he added. I’m coming to help you, he thought, echoing the words he spoke so long ago to Shion.

 

‘He’s right,’ Vincent backed him up. ‘There is no time to lose on preparations. It is not like we can prepare to face Sephiroth anyway,’ he added. There it was again, Nezumi thought, why would those people want to fight some ancient beliefs? He didn’t waste time thinking about that. He kneeled and extended his hand close to the ground.

 

‘Lead the way, Tsukiyo,’ he whispered to the mouse. It hopped off his hand and hurried towards the door. Paying no attention to the others, Nezumi followed the mouse out. He heard Cloud call them to follow and a tiny smile flickered across his face.

 

I’m coming to help you Shion. Don’t panic, he thought as he ran.

 

})i({

 

Running behind Nezumi, Cloud couldn’t figure what surprised him more: that he was following a mouse or that Nezumi had the strength to run. The latter was infinitely surprising, but following a mouse was not something he ever expected to do. He never expected to be threatened with Sephiroth’s comeback either, he thought. A chill ran down his spine and he hoped that they would be on time to prevent the worst from happening.

 

That kid had no idea what could be waiting for him, he thought, watching Nezumi’s back. Hell, even I have no idea, he added to himself. If only I wasn’t burdened with geostigma, I could hope to take Sephiroth on. I don’t mind dying myself, but if the fate of the world depends on me, then I need to be in top form, he thought. He wished there was a way to remove the stigma that marred his arm and weakened his body.

 

‘Is that truly your wish?’ he thought he heard in his head. Oh Aeris, he thought, this is not the time to distract me.

 

‘You heard the man,’ Zack’s voice echoed in his head. It sounded like he was laughing and Cloud ached to meet the man again, the man who died to save him. What a waste Zack, he thought roughly.

 

‘Don’t think like that,’ Aeris’ voice scolded him in his head. ‘I granted Nezumi his wish, I can grant yours as well, but only one wish.’

 

If you could cleanse the world from geostigma, wouldn’t you have done that before? Cloud asked himself. A gasp from Nezumi snapped him out of his thoughts and he realised that they had arrived. They were surrounded by the ruins of Shinra’s headquarters.

 

He stopped next to Nezumi. He knew that the Turks didn’t follow them and that Cid, Vincent, Tifa and Barret were behind him and Nezumi. Cloud wanted it that way. He wanted Nezumi to be back with the others, but he knew that there was nothing he could say to make the kid back down, not with that determined expression on his face.

 

Ignoring his thoughts and wistful wishes, he glared at the group in front of them: three silver-haired men were whom he assumed to be Kadaj and his group. The one with short hair was holding a struggling Shion, one hand across the boy’s chest, trapping his arms, and the other pulling his hair. There didn’t seem to be any visible wounds on him and the fear on his face melted when he noticed Nezumi. He even went as far as to smile.

 

‘We thought you would come,’ the man with the middle-length hair spoke and Cloud focused on him, understanding that this was Kadaj. He was holding a small, black box and Cloud expected that to be the Jenova cells. ‘We waited for you to start our show, brother,’ Kadaj added, spitting the last word as though it was a curse. Cloud felt as though he was slapped on the face.

 

Somewhere next to him, the mouse that led them here, screeched excitedly. Nezumi undid his scarf and wrapped it around himself like it was a hooded cloak. Cloud swallowed, hoping that he was going to be able to stop the kid from attacking. The three silver-heads looked at Nezumi as he moved, but they said nothing. Shion seemed to be only looking at his friend.

 

‘I’m glad you brought that kid as well,’ Kadaj said, nodding at Nezumi. ‘He’s bound to enjoy the show as much as you will.’

 

‘Let Shion go,’ Cloud said quietly. Kadaj laughed.

 

‘Shion is your name, pet?’ he asked, turning to the white-haired kid. ‘Well, Shion, say good bye to your friend and let’s get this show on the way,’ he added and turned back to Cloud, waving the black container. ‘You know what I have here? Mother is finally with us, brother!’

 

Cloud was thinking frantically. He was too far and the man holding Shion would break the kid’s neck before Cloud managed to get to them, he was sure of that. While it was still the smaller evil than having Sephiroth back, Cloud didn’t really want to risk Nezumi’s wrath afterwards. Speaking about Nezumi, Cloud realised that the kid was awfully calm. Focused and nearly trembling with impatience or fear, but calm. He didn’t make the slightest move to save his friend who, Cloud noted, was just as calm, looking straight at Nezumi as though he didn’t understand the situation he was in.

 

Kadaj opened the box and moved to his accomplice, a cruel smile twisting his face. Shion looked momentarily panicked and almost struggled. Almost, Cloud repeated to himself, watching how Shion’s body went all but limp in the tight hold of the bigger man. Was Nezumi even breathing? Cloud thought irrationally.

 

Things happened almost too fast for him to register them. In the tense silence of the night, as Kadaj moved to grab Shion’s chin, a screech of mice tore the air. Nezumi’s position shifted minimally as he readied himself to pounce. A split of a second later, the man holding Shion screamed in pain and Shion shot out from his hold, towards Nezumi and Cloud. Nezumi sprang forward as well, before Cloud could even think to shout at him to stay.

 

The man who was holding Shion just a second ago, flailed his arms about, one hitting Kadaj’s box as Nezumi intercepted Shion. He wrapped them both in his cloak, putting himself between Kadaj and Shion in one, swift motion.

 

Green, luminescent drops splashed out of Kadaj’s open black box even as the silver-haired man screamed in protest. Nezumi and Shion stumbled and fell to the ground, covered in the cloak.

 

Green drops landed on the ground, on the cloak and on the silver-haired men. They sizzled on the cloak and burned small holes in the ground as Kadaj turned slowly and smiled at Cloud, whose brain finally caught up with his eyes.

 

There was a flash of light while Cloud drew his sword and shot forward. In the last moment, he stopped a long and thin blade from slicing the cloak and the two kids under it in half. Knowing what he would see, he followed the impossibly long blade to the man who held it. No, he corrected himself, to the demon that held it.

 

Sephiroth smiled at him when their eyes met and a chill ran down Cloud’s spine at the sheer coldness of that smile. Despair threatened to overwhelm him, but he pursed his lips into a thin line and pushed the despair away.

 

‘Get those kids to safety!’ he yelled, not turning away from Sephiroth. His nemesis smiled faintly.

 

‘Long time no see, Cloud,’ said the silky voice. Everything around him faded into monochrome background as those words thundered through his thoughts. The demon moved and so did Cloud, everything except for the task at hand forgotten.

 

Their swords clashed with a resounding sound.

 

Pushing Sephiroth back, away from his friends, Cloud smiled grimly. I defeated you once, he thought, I will do it again. Those words firmly lodged in his head, he charged again.


	11. Chapter 11

The screech of the mice surprised Vincent, as it did everybody else. Except for Nezumi and Shion, Vincent thought as the events unfolded in front of his eyes. He was impressed at the speed with which the two kids acted and, preoccupied with their safety, he wouldn’t have noticed Sephiroth if Cloud didn’t spring into action. As the two swords clashed over the cloak-wrapped kids, Vincent looked at the demon himself, swallowing his fear.

So he was back, he thought. Cloud shouted to get the kids out of danger and Vincent sprang into action himself. As Cloud and Sephiroth clashed and moved away, the other two silver-heads glared at the rest of them. Moving towards Nezumi and Shion, Vincent shot them a couple of bullets to keep them away.

Much to his despair, the one with the long hair aimed at the kids and shot as well. There was no doubt that the bullet reached the target but nothing happened.

‘Barret!’ Vincent shouted. ‘Keep them away,’ he ordered the bulky man. As rounds from automatic gun, which replaced an arm Barret lost fighting, resounded in the night’s air, Vincent rushed to the two kids. Behind him, Tifa and Cid shouted something and, probably, jumped into action.

‘Nezumi, Shion,’ Vincent called out as he reached them. ‘Come on, follow me,’ he said as the cloak moved. He shot a couple of bullets towards the short-haired man, who was the closest, while Shion supported the obviously weakened Nezumi upright. It seems that the blood loss finally caught up with you, Vincent thought, helping Shion. He was careful not to touch the cloak where the Jenova cells left slightly paler dots.

‘This was amazing, Nezumi,’ Shion was talking excitedly. ‘I’d have said it’s the most impressive I’ve done, but that garbage chute still probably beats it,’ he was babbling. Vincent was worried that he snapped, until he heard Nezumi laugh faintly.

‘You never know when to stop talking, do you?’ the dark-haired boy asked. Minding the fight, Vincent led them away.

‘I think I managed quite well just before,’ Shion argued indignantly. ‘I didn’t say a word either, when Hamlet tickled my ankles when those guys said we’d wait for you either,’ he added. Nezumi paused, looking at Shion with wide open eyes. Vincent wished they would move faster.

‘Hamlet,’ Nezumi repeated, his tone somewhere between a question and a relieved statement.

‘Come on,’ Vincent hissed and pushed them on. ‘I’ll stay with you just in case. I think Cid, Barret and Tifa can take on those two and we better leave Sephiroth to Cloud,’ he added, pushing the kids to sit behind some rubble that sheltered them from the fight. As they sat on the ground, no fewer than three mice jumped on Nezumi’s lap. Shaking his head at the absurdity of the situation, Vincent turned back to the fight. He could still shoot the bad guys, couldn’t he?

‘Hamlet, Cravat,’ Nezumi whispered next to him. The tone of his voice was the same as when the black mouse appeared back in the bar. It was a tone filled with relief and joy, but also full of disbelief. Vincent focused on the fight that unfolded a couple of meters away from him. Further away, almost entering the ruined building, Cloud and Sephiroth jumped at each other and jumped away. The clashing of their swords was clearly audible even though the gun shots and shouts. Good luck, Cloud, Vincent thought and aimed his gun. He pulled the trigger.

The long-haired silver-head paused in his motion, a flower of crimson exploding from between his eyes. The other one, short-haired, shouted in anger and despair, but it was three to one now, so Vincent turned back to the kids. Nezumi was asking Shion if he was okay or if he was hurt.

‘It’s just my wrists that are badly bruised,’ Shion explained, extending his hands towards Nezumi. Vincent winced at the angry bruises circling the slender wrists. It was nothing life-threatening though. ‘I was so worried about you,’ Shion added, his brow furrowing as he looked at his friend carefully. ‘I didn’t think you would be able to move so fast after that slash of the sword.’

‘Vincent and Cloud healed me,’ Nezumi replied with a wry smile. They shared a long look before Shion nodded and muttered that it was good then.

‘I can probably heal your wrists as well,’ Vincent said, kneeling next to the kids. Judging by the sounds from the fight, the third guy was going down fast.

‘Em, what should I do for you to heal them?’ Shion asked. Vincent swallowed the question about his ignorance towards materia magic. He had his suspicions from the beginning, but he wasn’t going to voice them.

‘Just extend your hands to me,’ he said instead and Shion complied with some reluctance. Vincent focused on the materia and green, luminescent fumes wafted from his hand to circle Shion’s bruised wrists. Both kids looked transfixed as the wounds slowly healed. ‘Your ankles also, maybe?’ Vincent suggested because the healing materia told him that it wasn’t everything.

‘Oh yeah,’ Shion muttered, dazed. Nezumi sighed exasperatedly and started interrogating the kid, body part by body part, for potential wounds. Grin on his face, Shion shook his head every time. Absent-mindedly, Vincent noted that the other three came to join them, which meant that the “only” thing that rested to be done was for Cloud to defeat Sephiroth.

‘Electric shocks?’ Nezumi asked. Vincent paid closer attention, remembering that Nezumi had some internal damage.

‘Oh yeah, I forgot that,’ Shion replied. ‘But they were not strong enough to cause internal bleedings and anyway, if I was bleeding all the time that I struggled when they held me, I would hardly be able to sit calmly like that,’ he dismissed the threat with a light tone. Nezumi nodded, but Vincent found it hard to believe that a teenager would talk about something like that with such ease.

‘What the hell, kid,’ Barret growled above them. ‘How can you be so careless about that?’ he asked and blinked as Shion launched into a lecture on how much blood he could lose before it became a problem and estimations on how much blood he would lose standing uprights and struggling, spitting out equations as he went. Nezumi laughed suddenly and Shion stopped, mid-sentence, to look at him with some concern.

‘Isn’t this amazing, Shion?’ the dark-haired boy asked, sounding truly happy. ‘It’s just like it was: you, me and the mice!’ he added. Concern vanished from Shion’s face and a bright smile lightened it. Vincent got up to talk with the others while Nezumi hugged Shion so tight that it must have been difficult to breathe. The other boy didn’t complain though, only returned the hug as a white mouse jumped onto his head and screeched excitedly.

I suppose the stress is catching up with them, Vincent though, turning to Tifa and noticing her worried look. He followed it to where Cloud was being beaten up by Sephiroth. It didn’t look good, but he had faith in the ex-SOLDIER.

‘We should help him,’ Cid muttered dejectedly. ‘He cannot fight alone.’

‘He needs to fight alone,’ Tifa replied softly. ‘He needs to beat those nightmares,’ she added. Vincent agreed with her whole-heartedly but, before he had time to voice his opinion, Sephiroth pierced Cloud’s arm with his sword, forcing the blond against the wall. Tifa screamed in fright and Vincent restrained her before she could run to help. He knew that Cloud would never forgive himself if somebody else died because of him, especially if it was Tifa.

Drops of rain fell on their heads.

It wasn’t a normal rain, he knew that immediately. It brought relief and peace. Who would have thought that the flower-girl from Midgar would have such a power, Vincent thought, understanding that it was Aeris who sent the rain.

With his enhanced vision, Vincent could see a smile twisting Cloud’s lips. It was a satisfied smile, lacking happiness but full of determination. Sephiroth’s eyes narrowed and he said something but the sudden wind only carried an indiscernible murmur to Vincent’s ears. Cloud answered something and pulled the sword out of his arm. Then, he attacked with renewed strength.

‘Go Cloud!’ Cid exclaimed. Barret echoed his shout. Holding her hands folded in front of her mouth, Tifa watched with worried eyes.

})i({

The rain surprised him, even more when he felt a tingling feeling in his left arm, much like a heal spell at work. Thank you Aeris, he thought.

‘I’m only fulfilling your wish,’ answered the flower-girl’s voice in his head. A satisfied smile twisted Cloud’s lips. He knew that he could take Sephiroth on now. He managed quite well with the burden of the stigma and now, free from it and full of light, he would be invincible. Laughter sounded in the sudden gust of wind, almost drowning away Sephiroth’s question about the reason of his joy.

‘Go get him tiger,’ the wind whispered in Zack’s voice.

‘You’re going to die,’ Cloud answered Sephiroth and forced the sword out of his arm. It hurt like hell and it was also his right arm, but he forced himself to ignore the pain. He would have time to whine about it when this mess was over.

Without hesitation, he attacked, showering Sephiroth with such a rain of blows that his nemesis was forced to back away. He didn’t falter, he didn’t miss a single chance. He flung a hit after hit, nearly blinded with rage that boiled in his veins at the thought that Sephiroth dared to think he could come back and destroy everything they’ve been building with such effort.

There was no sound when his sword pierced Sephiroth’s heart. Panting from the effort, Cloud stopped and looked into the surprised eyes of his enemy. Sephiroth’s sword was casted aside, lying uselessly on the ground near them. He didn’t even remember when that happened, but he didn’t care. He won.

‘You win,’ Sephiroth breathed. ‘This time,’ he added and a smile twisted his pale face. Before Cloud could reply, Sephiroth dissolved into a mass of feathers and Kadaj was there, in his place, dying on Cloud’s blade.

‘I’m impressed,’ he whispered, his tone filled with sadness. ‘Brother,’ he added and his eyes closed for the last time. Closing his own eyes, Cloud pulled the sword out of the body and winced at the thump as it hit the ground. His sword clattered to the ground as well and his knees buckled under him. The effort of fighting Sephiroth and the blood-loss were catching up with him. Blood was still trailing down his arm.

I won, he thought, opening his eyes. He was momentarily blinded by the light that invaded his eyes. Where Kadaj was, moments before, Zack was smiling at him, standing next to Aeris against the white light. I died, he thought.

‘No you didn’t,’ Zack said with a laugh. ‘You did a good job Cloud, everything will be fine now,’ he added and ruffled Cloud’s blond hair.

‘We’ll wait for you in the livestream,’ Aeris added and leaned to kiss both his cheeks. Cloud smiled at them both, earnestly for the first time since the horror of Nibelheim where Sephiroth went mad. A great weight was lifted from his chest and, as the figures of Aeris and Zack faded away with the light, he felt himself collapse fully.

He didn’t hit the ground, he realised with some delay. Darkness cleared from his eyes and he saw the worried expression of Tifa. His head was resting on her lap, he thought, smiling at her weakly. Black spots danced in front of his eyes.

‘My healing materia,’ he whispered, his voice barely audible. Somebody unstrapped the bracelet from his right forearm. Cid’s hands strapped it onto Tifa’s arm as the woman smiled at Cloud. He knew that she wouldn’t be as efficient as he would with his own materia, but it would be enough until they were in the bar and he could simply go to sleep. Puffs of green fumes twirled from Tifa’s hand and surrounded the wound. He gasped as the pain ebbed away and closed his eyes in bliss. The lack of pain felt so incredibly good, he thought. Ever since he discovered that he had geostigma he was never fully free of pain and, when Aeris healed him during the fight, the pain from the stab wound was overwhelming anyway.

‘Let’s go to a more comfortable place. What do you say to that?’ Tifa’s voice called him back and he looked up at the smiling woman.

‘Sounds good,’ he muttered. A gloved hand extended to him and he gripped it, accepting the help to get up. The same hand steadied him as he swayed slightly once up and he nodded his thanks at Vincent before looking around. Cid and Barret were outright grinning at him, clapping his back and congratulating him. Tifa simply smiled and, surprisingly, so did Vincent. The red man’s smiles were as rare as Cloud’s so he must have been overjoyed at that moment. Nezumi was looking at him with a hint of awe, leaning against Shion slightly as they stood somewhat away from the group.

‘Are you kids alright?’ he asked. A smile brightened Shion’s face immediately.

‘We are alright,’ the white-haired boy said while Nezumi nodded in agreement. ‘It was very impressive, the way you handled that guy,’ he added and Cloud found it impossible to not smile at the statement. That kid had absolutely no idea what just happened, did he?

‘Thanks,’ he said lightly and turned to the other four. ‘Cid, Barret, can I ask you to-’

‘We’ll get rid of this trash, don’t worry,’ Barret growled, kicking Kadaj’s arm. Shion made a strangled noise and Vincent went up to the kids, telling them that they should start making their way towards the bar. Poor kids, Cloud thought, it must have been quite horrifying to see a fight like that.

Tifa grabbed his arm, diverting his attention from the kids, and wrapped it around her shoulders with a smile. He leaned on her slightly as they followed Vincent.

The rain stopped.


	12. Chapter 12

They walked slowly the same way as they ran before, following Tsukiyo. Thinking back to that run, Nezumi had to admit to himself that he was amazed he managed. Fear for Shion gave him the strength he didn’t think he should have been able to muster. Not that he was weak now, he thought. He only allowed Shion to help him walk because he didn’t want to let go of the white-haired airhead. He couldn’t stop worrying that Shion might disappear if he will not keep some sort of physical contact. Tsukiyo was hidden in the folds of the superfiber cloth, together with Cravat, while Hamlet sat on Shion’s head, nearly melting together with the shiny, snow-white hair. Nezumi loved that hair, he was quite jealous of it until Shion told him one day that he liked Nezumi’s hair much more.

 

Shion was telling him about everything that happened since they got separated and Nezumi told him that he was impressed with his getaway, even if it didn’t quite work out. His fear was gone and, for the moment, he enjoyed to be totally relaxed, happy that he could be together with Shion and the mice.

 

‘You might have to find the books yourself, but I’m sure you will manage,’ said a voice on the wind, overlapping with Shion’s cheerful chatter, and Nezumi smiled.

 

Thank you, he thought, just having him and the mice is more than I hoped for. A ray of sun shot through the dispersing clouds, almost like a smile. They haven’t even noticed that it was already day, due to the heavy rain clouds but now it was obvious. Warmth filled Nezumi as sun shone through more and more.

 

‘Looks like it’s going to be a nice day,’ Shion said, smiling at Nezumi happily. He wanted to tell him to get his emotions under control and act his age, but instead he smiled back. ‘Of course you will need to rest, but maybe if the weather keeps up, we can go exploring. Who knows what we can find in those ruins, eh?’

 

‘Yeah, who knows,’ Nezumi replied quietly. ‘For your information, I am perfectly fine and I don’t need any rest. I don’t know when it will get through that thick head of yours that you don’t need to worry about me,’ he added in a louder and stricter tone, not making a single move to get away from the annoying airhead. Shion smiled sweetly at him.

 

‘Of course you’re fine,’ he said earnestly. ‘I know that I worry needlessly but I don’t have to worry about myself, because I know that you will always protect me, so I worry about you.’

 

‘How many times do I need to tell you that you have to be able to protect yourself?’ Nezumi asked with irritation. ‘You cannot count on somebody else to always be there to help you,’ he added, wondering if Shion was even listening. The blissful expression on Shion’s face and the bright, sweet smile seemed to hint that he wasn’t. ‘Are you even listening to me?’ he asked.

 

‘I’m always listening to you, Nezumi,’ Shion replied in the same, earnest tone. ‘And I’m so happy that you are alright. I was worried sick all the time that you would bleed out or something,’ he added and all the irritation melted out of Nezumi. Why that annoying kid had such an effect on him, he didn’t know.

 

I can’t even stop lying to myself, he thought, shaking his head. Maybe in this world, where No. 6 never existed, we will be able to coexist peacefully, he thought. Before there was this nagging thought, pushing him away from Shion. Of course Shion wasn’t guilty for the Mao Massacre, of course Shion wasn’t to blame for the folly of the city’s founders – Nezumi knew all that in his head. But in his heart, there was always this tiny voice saying “he lived there” and it was not a voice Nezumi could ignore easily. It was that voice that pushed him to leave after they brought down the Correctional Facility and placated Elyurias. And although he promised Shion to come back at that moment, he knew that he wouldn’t come to stay. Perhaps in this world I will be free from that voice, he thought, looking up at the sun that seemed friendlier here.

 

‘Looks like we’ve almost arrived,’ Shion said and Nezumi focused on reality. Indeed the shabby building of 7th Heaven was looming in front of them. The mice screeched with agitation, Hamlet jumping off Shion’s head and hiding in the pocket on his coat.

 

‘What the-’ Nezumi started, but trailed off when the two Turks opened the door to the bar. He felt Shion stiffen at the same time as Vincent’s hand rested on his arm.

 

‘They will not hurt you,’ Vincent’s calming voice reached his ears. Shion relaxed minutely, but Nezumi knew that he kept his guard up now. So did Nezumi and, focusing on the reality firmly, he stopped leaning quite so much on Shion although he didn’t move away.

 

Denzel and Marlene shot out of the building and ran towards them, all smiles and excitement. They went directly to Cloud and Tifa but Nezumi could hear their enthusiastic voices. Shion turned to watch the scene, but Nezumi kept his eyes fixed on the Turks.

 

‘Cloud! Tifa!’ Denzel exclaimed. Nezumi was surprised that he could even form words with the amount of exhilaration he was projecting. ‘The stigma is gone,’ he added. Tifa laughed, saying that it is splendid news.

 

‘It was raining and the flower-girl told us to go out,’ Marlene added, just as excited as Denzel. ‘All the kids were out and everybody was healed and we laughed and danced and-’ she stopped, probably to take a breath. ‘Are you alright Cloud?’

 

‘I am now,’ the blond said, happiness clearly audible in his voice.

 

‘Well, now that you’re back, we’re going to the Healing Lodge,’ Reno the Turk said as he and his partner came closer to the group. Nezumi couldn’t help his hand tightening its grip on Shion’s shoulder.

 

‘We stayed behind to watch out for the kids,’ Reno’s partner, Rude if Nezumi remembered correctly, added. He glared at the two but they ignored him and left.

 

‘Vincent, you’re welcomed to stay for a while,’ Tifa said after a while of silence. ‘We can prepare some makeshift beds for everybody to rest today and, when it’s almost time to open the bar, we can have some dinner and all,’ she added.

 

‘There’s plenty of place in our room,’ Shion offered. Nezumi was surprised that he didn’t offer to sleep on the floor, until he remembered that Shion shared the bed with him anyway. He shook his head in resignation. ‘Nezumi should rest, but I can help you prepare places to sleep for everybody,’ he added. Typical Shion, Nezumi thought fondly.

 

‘That’s noble of you, considering that you take my room,’ boomed a voice behind them, making Shion jump up in surprise. Nezumi narrowed his eyes at the black guy. He was introduced to him while Shion was away, but he still didn’t like him.

 

‘Dad!’ Marlene exclaimed and threw herself at the man. Dad? Nezumi thought. There was some funny genetics going on in this world, he thought sarcastically, watching how Barret picked Marlene up easily. ‘You can sleep in our room, isn’t it right, Denzel?’ she added.

 

‘Sure,’ the boy agreed. Such a cheesy, family scene, Nezumi thought. He didn’t remember a single scene like that from his life but there was no jealousy in his heart.

 

‘Right then, let’s all share space,’ Tifa said cheerfully. ‘Vincent, you can stay with Nezumi and Shion. Barret can stay with the kids and Cid, you can stay with us,’ she added. ‘I’ll give you all stuff to make some sort of sleeping place.’

 

It took some time before everybody was settled. They did like Tifa said and Vincent was stretched on the floor of the room, rejecting Nezumi’s offer to take the bed, saying that Nezumi needed a comfortable bed more than he did. As he finally lay on the bed, with Shion snuggled against his chest and the mice on the pillow, Nezumi smiled slightly. His eyes closed and he was asleep in a matter of seconds.

 

})i({

 

Nice weather held for days after the dramatic events that unfolded in the ruins of Midgar. Like Shion suggested, they went exploring and, against all odds, found a place for themselves. Tifa and Cloud protested, said that they could stay longer, until they could afford a proper house, but there was no stopping them. They didn’t want to run and hide, but neither did they want to stay in the Edge that was bustling with life. Free from the menace of geostigma, the population of Edge worked on picking up the pieces and making lives for them with renewed vigour. Constructions were underway everywhere and people were talking excitedly in the streets. Children were playing and laughing whenever it wasn’t raining. Commerce was blooming, mostly with people exchanging the goods they had for the goods they needed.

 

Nezumi and Shion wanted a calm place. Somewhere, where nobody would ever disturb them and even guests were unlikely, somewhere away from the hassle. Midgar’s ruins, avoided by everybody as though they were cursed, seemed like a perfect place. They learned about the history of that city, of course, but it didn’t affect them because they never had to live it.

 

Besides, they really found a perfect place. It was close to the ruined church, where Cloud found Shion unconscious on the bed of flowers. It was a small house in a surprisingly good shape, although it missed windows and doors. It had a roof though and simple, bare walls. With the help of their newly found friends, they put in windows and doors and ensured that the walls and ceiling would protect them from cold and rain. They brought in simple furniture: a bed and a sofa, a table. They got the basic kitchen equipment and everything else that was necessary to live.

 

Shion insisted on acquiring plenty of bookshelves and promised Nezumi that they will fill them all eventually. They couldn’t hope to find Shakespeare or Lord Byron, but that new world surely had its own classics, Shion repeated when they were alone and nobody could hear them. Nezumi was actually excited at the prospect of reading new books, but he worked hard to not let that show too much. He needed to keep his ground against Shion’s endearing excitement.

 

He kept his job in Tifa’s bar, which was thriving, while Shion took on teaching children. At first, he was only teaching them to read and count, but soon he went about teaching ecology and the basics of medicine that he knew. Even with the magical properties of materia, which amazed Nezumi every time he thought about it, the ability to treat wounds properly was useful. As for ecology, in the world devastated like that one, it seemed like a good idea to teach everybody on how to mind the planet while satisfying their basic needs. Shion promised that, as soon as he would figure out more about the world, he would try and teach the kids science, but Nezumi only smiled at him and reminded him to not overwork himself.

 

Their working schedules meant that they spent a lot of time apart, during the day when Shion was teaching and, most of the days, in the late evenings when Nezumi was working in the bar, but he wasn’t bothered by that. He knew that Shion would come home every afternoon, bringing food for the dinner that they would share, before Nezumi headed out, and for the next day. He knew that, when he was back from work late at night, he would be able to curl up next to Shion and fall asleep peacefully. The mice followed them both so he knew that if Shion would be in danger, he would know.

 

They built bikes for themselves, to move to and from Edge swiftly and not waste the time that they could otherwise spend together. In Edge, people were amazed at the idea and asked them to build bikes for them as well. Instead of doing that, they taught a couple of older kids to build bikes and the kids sold bikes, making their living. It felt good to give something like that to another person, Nezumi realised, when he heard that the kids could afford to live on their own. It was much more meaningful than handing out food, he knew. Only Barret wasn’t happy, because the need for oil and petrol, his own income source, decreased as a consequence.

 

Life passed and their bookshelves filled, slowly but surely. Knowing better than anybody else to not take things for granted, Nezumi cherished the quiet moments when he and Shion would sit and read, discovering the new world. Every once in a while they would exchange some words. Sometimes, Shion would read out loud for the mice while Nezumi wrote what he remembered from the classics from the other world, their world. Eventually, he thought to himself, he was going to let others read them, eventually he and Shion would tell their friends the truth. Sometimes, he recited the books he remembered to Shion and the mice. Shion teased him, on those occasions, that he craved the limelight and missed the appreciation he was getting as an actor. Sometimes they remembered how they met on that stormy evening in a city that never existed in the world they were in. They talked about Rikiga, Inukashi, his dogs and the little Shionn, and about Shion’s mom, Karan, and her amazing muffins. They wondered what they were doing, if they missed them. Sometimes Shion cried a little on those occasions and Nezumi had to hug him and murmur comforting words into Shion’s shiny, snow-white hair. Mice would gather with them and screech quietly as well and eventually Shion smiled again.

 

Some months after the second fall of Sephiroth, Tifa and Cloud got married. Everybody was overjoyed and even Vincent, who normally stayed away from Edge, showed up for the event, looking happy for his friends. Grumbling under his breath about the cheesiness of the situation, Nezumi watched the ceremony with his arm around Shion’s shoulders, the three mice perched on his shoulder, looking on curiously as well. His grumbling stopped and he even smiled, when Shion’s arm wrapped around his waist at some point and the snow-white head rested against his shoulder. His smile widened when the mice screeched at him quietly, happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and especially leaving comments and kudos! <3

**Author's Note:**

> The title is a line from Royksopp's "What else is there". I recommend the song!


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